Opposite Nature
by 100NaturalBacon
Summary: Azula, after fleeing into the forest of Forgetful Valley, is tracked by Fire Nation soldiers and trapped on a mysterious island. After one fateful night, Azula now has to cope with her newfound abilities while trying to keep her secret hidden from the world. (Azula Mermaid AU)
1. Prologue: Running

**Hello and welcome to my first story on the site and my first ever fanfiction. This is an Azula Mermaid AU with most of the magic aspects based off of H20: Just Add Water. I've always wondered what a firebender turned mermaid would do, especially if said firebender was given waterbending abilities as well. I will try to upload at least once or twice a month.**

**This story takes place right after the events of The Search, Part 3. Since the comics don't clearly state where Hira'a is, I've had to make up a few things. Hira'a in this story is located on the main fire island between the Capital City and The Gates of Azulon.**

**Story Summary: Azula, after fleeing into the forest of Forgetful Valley, is tracked by Fire Nation soldiers and trapped on a mysterious island. After one fateful night, Azula now has to cope with her newfound abilities while trying to keep her secret hidden from the world.**

**Disclaimer that I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender nor H20: Just Add Water. Also this is NOT a ship fic and will not include ships that are non-canon.**

* * *

**Prologue: Running**

Azula's heart was pounding with adrenaline and hot tears streaked along her face. Branches and vines scraped her limbs and tore her clothing as she ran through the thick brush of Forgetful Valley. The events that had just transpired left her in a confused panic.

_'Azula! Come back! Come back! Please! I can help you! I __**want **__to help you!'_

She could practically hear Zuko's pleading voice. Azula ran slightly faster and her tears fell even quicker as the words repeated themselves in her mind. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to force the words from her mind.

"You don't want to help me! Liar! LIAR! You can't help monsters. You're only being nice so you look good in front of mother!," Azula yelled out at the memory of her brother's words.

_'If what you say is true...if I really am your mother...then I'm sorry I didn't love you __**enough**__.'_

The last words she heard her real mother say sliced through her mind. "**LIAR!**," she yelled harder, "You never cared for me! You've always thought I was a monster! That's why you had another daughter! You never...loved me."

Azula choked out a sob and this time she cried freely, but she didn't dare stop running. She needed to get away, needed to escape the people that made her feel this way. She needed to escape her weakness.

Azula was a failure. A failure for showing such weakness. A failure for not ending her mother. A failure for running from her incompetent brother. How could she let herself fall this low? Her tears clouded her vision, her eyes becoming red and puffy, and her head went numb with overwhelming emotion. So Azula did the only thing she knew how to do at the moment and continued to run.

**...**

The muscles in her legs screamed with exhaustion and her lungs burned with every breath. Small cuts that dotted her hands and face stung and her tears had stopped flowing, leaving an irritating itch along her eyes and cheeks. Azula didn't pay any attention to her body's pleas for rest. Her mind had gone blank and she had lost her sense of time. All she knew was that she had to get away.

By now, the already darkening sky had become nearly pitch black. Moonlight filtered through the leaves of the trees and a cold wind blew through the forest. Azula continued to weave through the forest, navigating the terrain with the weak light of the moon. She had been trying to ignore the growing feeling of exhaustion spreading through her limbs. Afterall, she had felt just as worse during her firebending training with her father, but her hours of constant running was starting to push her limits. Azula became faintly aware of herself gradually slowing down in speed.

_'NO! You can't slow down. Not now. Keep running. Run faster,' _Azula commanded herself to pick up her pace, forcing her burning legs to keep moving.

It wasn't long until her breath became ragged and her vision began to wane. Slowly, dark spots began to swim around in her line of sight and a feeling of lightheadedness overtook her senses. Azula shook her head and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to disperse of the annoying particles.

Unfortunately in the moment that it took for Azula to rub her eyes, her foot had snagged a tree root sticking up from the ground. Azula tripped and her body slammed into the ground, skidding to a halt a few feet away. One moment she had been running, the next she was gasping for air as she lay on the dirt covered ground.

The fall left Azula winded, the air from her lungs forced out from the impact. She rolled on the ground clutching her chest and throat in a feeble attempt to ease the pain in her aching chest and burning throat. She felt like puking.

As much as she wanted the burning in her lungs to go away, she knew that there was nothing she could do until it passed. She continued to gasp for much needed air. Her head was spinning and the world around her felt unstable as Azula rested on the ground. She was sure that she was about to pass out.

_'Breathe_,' She thought to herself, '_Just breathe. In….out….in….out….' _Azula repeated the words in her head, attempting to slow her breathing using the same techniques she used for firebending. Her breathing, while still heavy, gradually leveled into a more manageable state. The rise and fall of her chest slowly changed into a rhythmic motion. For the next few minutes she focused only on breathing.

Once the pain dulled and the spinning slowed, Azula allowed herself to focus on the sky. Through the canopy of trees she noticed that the moon was out. Her eyebrows raised slightly and she gazed at the moon. How many hours had it been? How long had she been running? How long had it been since she ran from-

_'No,' _Azula cut her own thoughts off and a scowl overtook her expression. She didn't even want to start thinking of them. She slightly clenched her fist in an attempt to ward off her thoughts.

A cold breeze then blew through the forest once more. While firebenders could withstand higher temperatures than the average person, Azula welcomed the breeze as it cooled her overheating and sweaty body. She was thankful for the cooling breeze and distraction from her swirling thoughts.

It was then that she realized how exhausted she truly was. A wave of tiredness hit Azula like a komodo rhino and she let her body go limp in the dirt. She didn't want to move from her spot on the ground. Azula basked in the soothing feeling the breeze brought with it and allowed her tired body to remain motionless. Before Azula knew it, her mind slipped into slumber.

* * *

Zuko was wide awake, a small candle flickering beside him. Before him a paper and brush set were laid out on a table. Today was quite eventful, but at the end of the day, he was still Fire Lord and he had a nation to run. He sat alone in a separate room, one that wasn't destroyed by Azula's entrance through the roof of his mother's home. As he wrote, the events of that day played in his mind over and over.

Zuko had gone on a quest to find his mother, and find his mother he did. Ursa, also known as Noriko, accepted the offer from the Mother of Faces and regained her face and memories. Zuko subconsciously smiled as he remembered their embrace after his mother regained her memories. Currently, Ursa was with her husband Ikem tucking in their daughter, Kiyi, his half-sister. Zuko's smile widened even further and a happy feeling filled his being.

As Zuko continued his letter, his mind was brought back to the reason for writing so late at night.

He could still imagine chasing after her as if it was happening. The look of shock, sadness, confusion, and anger within her golden eyes. The look Azula gave him before she ran off into Forgetful Valley.

_'Same as always, Zuzu. Even when you're strong...you're weak,' _His sister's final words echoed in his head.

Zuko was frustrated with his sister's actions. He just wished that she would have let him help her. He wanted to help her! He truly did, so why wouldn't Azula let him? Why did Azula look so...scared?

The longer Zuko dwelled on the thought of his sister, the more worried he became.

_'She's all alone in a forest where people are known to never return from and on top of that she's mentally ill for Agni's sake! Is she safe? Is she hurt? What if she hurts someone? What if she has another episode? What if-'_

Zuko's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He placed his brush down and turned around.

"Come in," he called to whomever was behind the door.

The handle turned and the door open to reveal Ursa. Upon seeing her son, she smiled and closed the door behind her. Zuko returned her smile and watched as Ursa sat down on a spare chair. Her expression changed to a troubled one.

"Mother, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?," Zuko asked as soon as he noticed her face. His expression shifted into a concerned look.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to see you again, but…," Ursa's face briefly lifted into a smile and fell back into a frown,"I'm worried about Azula," Ursa admitted."The look on her face…it was so heartbreaking to see her so...distraught. That forest is a dangerous place. I've lived in it before and...and…do you think she will be safe? What if she gets hurt? What if she gets lost? What if-"

Ursa repeated Zuko's own thoughts. Placing a hand on his mother's shoulder, he cut her worrying short. Zuko stared into his mother's eyes," If anything, Azula knows how to survive. She's a natural fighter. We will see her again, I promise."

Ursa stared hopefully back into Zuko's eyes before wrapping her arms around him and embracing her son. He embraced her back.

"I'm just so worried. I haven't seen both of you in years and the first thing that she does is run away from me," Ursa's voice was slightly shaky with emotion.

"I'm worried for her as well. I'm afraid that she'll do something to hurt herself or others. That's why I'm going to look for her and bring her back, just like we did with you," Zuko reassured his mother.

They both let go of one another and Ursa wiped a few tears from her eyes. She smiled at him.

"I have no doubt in your abilities," Ursa lightly kissed her son on the cheek," I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, Zuko. I love you."

"Goodnight, mom. I love you, too," Zuko smiled at her and watched as she turned and left the room, closing the door on her way out.

With his mother's departure from the room, Zuko turned around and got back to writing his letter. He dipped his brush into fresh ink and continued writing.

About 15 minutes later, Zuko cleaned up his writing station and looked over his letter.

_**Dear Uncle Iroh,**_

_**All is well here. With the help of the Avatar and my friends, we have located Ursa. I am most exceptionally happy. The journey was eventful to say the least. The addition of Azula didn't make the journey any easier, but her information certainly helped.**_

_**I would like to request that construction crews come to Hira'a. After we found where mother was residing, Azula ended up blasting through the roof in an attempt to take Ursa's life.**_

_**Speaking of Azula, she fled into Forgetful Valley earlier tonight after we found my mother. I worry that she will hurt herself and, more importantly, other people. I request that you send a team of skilled trackers and soldiers. I feel that I will need their expertise.**_

_**Please send crews as soon as you read this letter. Hira'a is a day trip away. I would like for them to come as early as possible. **_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Fire Lord Zuko**_

Satisfied, he picked up his letter and walked up to the window near the table. This would be the last letter sent for the night. A messenger hawk sat on its perch and looked up at Zuko as he approached. Zuko rolled up the letter and opened the canister on the raptor's back before slipping the letter in and closing the lid.

"Send this to the Capital City and deliver it to the palace, please," Zuko told the bird. The hawk squawked and took off into the night towards the Capital City.

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**Well I hope you enjoyed the prologue. A little short, but I can assure you that the next chapter is about twice as long. Since one of the prompts for Azula Week 2019 was Mermaid AU, I thought it would be fitting to upload during this time.**

**I'm friggin' uploading this during the a.m. hours of the morning.**


	2. Chapter One: Plans

**Heya. Sorry for the wait. School starts earlier for me than most and I've been working my arse off trying to complete my science course. I started it very late in the year, so I had to do science through summer, which stretched into my first two weeks of school. **

**I've also been experiencing a lack of motivation, but I'm slowly getting through it. With the encouragement of my teachers and friends, I'm slowly making progress. Updates will probably take longer. Thank goodness I wrote some chapters in advance to posting this story.**

**Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews!**

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**Chapter One: Plans**

"Did you truly think that I would ever care for you?"

Azula suddenly gasped in pain as a swift kick was delivered to her side. The kick sent her sprawling onto the floor and she looked up to see the scarred face of her brother, Zuko. His golden eyes blazed with fury as he towered over her small frame. Her body was covered with bruises, scorch marks, and open wounds.

Azula was terrified, practically shaking with fear as she watched her brother approach her once more. She frantically scanned the area for a way to flee, but the orange flames that surrounded the two siblings offered no escape. Before she could move any further, Zuko grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and roughly lifted her off the ground. He forced Azula to look him in the eyes.

"Pathetic," Zuko spat, "You are a fool for ever believing that I cared." No matter how hard she tried, her eyes couldn't break from the furious glare of her brother. "I simply used you for your information to find **my **mother. I was going to discard you afterwards. Return you to the mental institution, maybe even throw you in prison to rot." A sadistic smile overtook Zuko's angry features as tears slipped from Azula's eyes.

He released her from his grasp and Azula landed with a heavy thud. Her eyes widened when she noticed her mother standing behind Zuko.

"Even mother didn't care for you," Zuko said. Ursa looked somberful, watching Azula with pity. "After all, monsters can't ever be loved," Zuko continued, "No wonder why she left you."

Ursa, who up until this point had been watching Azula, turned her head away to look in another direction. Azula felt hurt by the action, but the voice of her brother took her attention once more.

"You thought you could escape by fleeing into Forgetful Valley? I will track you down. Mark my words," Zuko looked down upon her, " Until then, sister."

Suddenly, the floor collapsed beneath her and she was sent into a free fall. Her chest tightened and a nauseating feeling filled her stomach. Azula flailed and looked around, trying desperately to grab onto anything that could slow her fall.

The light from the ring of fire began to fade as she fell further. Azula could see their outline peering over the edge of the hole she had fallen into.

She could see one of the silhouettes shake their head and walk away. The other remained watching her.

"M-Mom...," Her voice came out weak. The light from the fire faded and she was suddenly thrown into pitch black darkness. A sense of fear and loneliness sent her into a panic. "Mom! Please, mom! Zuko! P-please! Please...PLEASE HELP ME!"

The darkness around her felt alive. It was pulsing and moving, swirling and twisting. She felt it grab her and pull her faster into the abyss. Azula screamed and tried to claw at the air. It felt like it was closing in on her. Hunting her. Suffocating her. Consuming her.

She was completely powerless and vulnerable. She just kept falling, and falling, and falling.

She then hit the ground.

**...**

Azula's eyes snapped open and she screamed as she jolted up from her spot on the ground. Panic surged through her body and she swiftly got into a sitting position. Her heart hammered in her chest, dry tear stains irritated her cheeks, she was hyperventilating, and a small headache pulsed in her head. She snapped her head left and right looking for any sign of danger.

Azula slowly calmed as she observed the trees around her. She was still in the forest. Not falling, not surrounded by fire, but still in the forest of Forgetful Valley. Her breathing calmed and she allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Her mind wandered back to the contents of the dream.

Small snippets from her dream replayed in her mind: Zuko, her mother, the void. The words Zuko said to her seemed to replay themselves the most. No matter how hard she tried to block the feeling of loneliness and sadness, they would force themselves back up. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Azula quickly wiped away any tears before they fell. "Tsk. Just because you've cried twice within the last year doesn't mean you should get used to it," she scolded herself, "You've gone most of your life without crying. Let's not start now."

It was an alien feeling, the feeling of loneliness. With it, it brought a feeling of vulnerability and fear. Azula hated it with a burning rage even hotter than her blue fire.

The events from yesterday were to blame. Zuko and Ursa were to blame. The very thought of those names pushed away any loneliness she felt.

Azula forced away those weakening emotions. She was not going to let her emotions get the better of her.

Azula turned her gaze skywards and, even with the trees blocking most of the view, could feel the energy slowly building as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

So much for rising with the sun. Well, after all that running last night she definitely needed the rest. She still felt a hint of exhaustion.

Groaning, Azula struggled to bring herself to her feet. Her entire body was sore, her lower body and legs aching the most. With some trouble, Azula got herself to stand upright. She tentatively stretched out her tense muscles and dusted off her clothing. A few leaves and twigs were plucked from her unkempt hair.

"Ugh, how disgraceful of me to sleep in the dirt like some peasant," Azula complained as she looked back at the patch of dirt where she had just been sleeping. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before surveying her surroundings more thoroughly.

She had fallen just on the outside of a small clearing. The trees were not as thick here as they were near the large pools of water and fewer plants grew in the area. The faces that had covered the leaves of the plants had faded overnight, marking the departure of the Mother of Faces from the physical world.

Azula then took the time to assess the damage done to her body. Her clothes were tattered in a few places and small holes dotted the maroon colored fabric. She checked over her limbs, feeling a few large bruises and seeing the many cuts that covered her hands. She made a mental note to get those cleaned as quickly as she could.

Azula looked around the clearing once more trying to get a sense of where she was. Obviously, she was somewhere in the Forgetfully Valley, maybe on the edge of the forest based on how thin the trees were here. She couldn't remember which way she ran when she fled from her mother and brother...

Ah yes, her disgrace of a brother. He was a big problem.

_'You thought you could escape by fleeing into Forgetful Valley? I will track you down,' _Zuko's voice from her dream came to her mind.

Zuzu. Of course he would go after her. He was probably requesting for soldiers to track her down right this second. Wouldn't want his crazy sister to run loose, would he?

_'Oh Zuzu, how you claimed to have changed, claimed to want to mend your familial relationships,' _Azula thought sourly_, 'You'll probably end up throwing me back into that Agni forsaken institution. Now that you have dear mother, you won't be needing me anymore. I won't let myself get caught.'_

A question presented itself. Where could she go? No doubt every town and city around Hira'a would be alerted to her presence.

Well for starters, she needed to get out of Forgetful Valley before Zuko could find her. She'll also need to be careful about leaving anything trackable. Once she made it out of the area, she wouldn't need to worry too much about Zuzu catching her.

An idea came to mind. She could trail the southern coast line and head east. Once she made it out of the immediate reach of Zuko and his soldiers, she could build up her strength, circle back to the Gates of Azulon, and up to the Capital City. There, she can set plans into motion to remove Zuko from the throne and end her pathetic mother's life.

Peering once more into the sky, Azula could feel that the power of the sun had increased slightly. Based on the position of the sun, which was behind her, she concluded that she had come from the west and had been heading east.

If she could recall, Hira'a was inland, but not too far from the coast. Maybe a couple days on foot from the nearest harbor. If she headed south, she'd hit the nearest shore line.

Azula smirked to herself and a new found determination coursed through her body. She will circle around to the Capital City. Though her body was sore, she started to walk south east.

That was until her stomach growled. She'd forgotten about that.

_'New course of action. Find food… and water. My throat is so dry it's quite literally killing me,'_ Azula complained to herself. She exited the clearing and began to search for any water or food.

So her journey began.

* * *

A whole day passed before any sign of the people Zuko requested appeared. The day before, Zuko spent his time with his mother listening to her stories and touring the village. Today it was back to business.

The construction crew had arrived earlier that morning with their carts of supplies and were currently repairing the roofing of his mother's home. Ursa, Ikem and Kiyi were in the village square shopping for food while their roof was being repaired.

Zuko sat outside his mother's home watching the village as he awaited the arrival of his requested search party. Today, he made sure to wear his royal attire as to not get confused for a villager. As he waited Aang, Sokka, and Katara chatted with him and kept him company.

"So, who exactly are we waiting for?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrow curiously at Zuko.

"Were waiting for my men to arrive so we can start our search for Azula," Zuko responded.

"Why can't we just go searching for her now? We could've covered a lot of ground if we had started earlier!" Sokka exclaimed, waving his arms toward the forest for extra emphasis.

Katara turned to her brother,"As much as it disturbs me to think that Azula is running amok in that forest, we can't just go sprinting into Forgetful Valley looking for her. Think about it. What if one of us ran into her while we were alone? She could roast us."

"Yeah!," Aang suddenly added in,"Plus with more people, we could cover even more ground than the four of us."

Sokka crossed his arms huffed in response,"I still think we should've started earlier. What if she has made it to another village by now?"

Zuko placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder,"Don't worry. The men that I have requested are some of the best trackers in the Fire Nation. Also, word of Azula's escape has already been sent out to the surrounding villages and I've sent extra soldiers. If she's at one of them, then we will know it."

The reassurance did little to keep Sokka's nervousness down and he continued to complain. It was then that a commotion could be heard coming from the village square. Families came out of their homes and villagers began to gather to get a better look at what was going on.

Zuko, noticing the activity, quickly got up and walked briskly towards the town square, Aang, Katara, and Sokka trailing behind him. He could hear Sokka exclaim,"Yes! Finally!," from somewhere behind him.

They rushed up the dirt path and weaved through the circle of people until they reached the front of the crowd. Murmurs and whispers of confusion could be heard coming from the small crowd as thundering footsteps came closer to the village entrance. A dust could of dirt could be seen and loud grunts and high-pitched screeches could be heard.

Entering the village were 3 soldiers riding komodo rhinos. Following behind them were 6 more soldiers riding ostrich horses. They made their way to the center of the town, halting before Zuko as they noticed his royal armor. The man on the middle rhino, no doubt their leader, dismounted his ride and walked up to Zuko, bowing respectfully. Zuko bowed back in response.

"Greetings Fire Lord Zuko. I am Tarrak," the man, now known as Tarrak, greeted in his deep voice.

"Greeting to you, Tarrak," Zuko responded respectfully.

They both returned to their full height and Zuko observed the man before him. Tarrak was a large man with a small beard and short hair. He donned Fire Nation armor over his shoulders and relatively light clothing underneath. So did the other soldiers behind him.

"I heard that you have requested my presence, my lord. My men and I have been sent here by General Iroh to assist," Tarrak respectfully said.

Zuko nodded,"Yes I have. Come along." Zuko turned around and began to walk back to his mother's house. Tarrak mounted his ride and ordered his men to follow.

Zuko lead them through the small village and to Ursa's home, walking around the house to meet out back. The men dismounted their animals and stood around Zuko, awaiting orders. Aang, Katara, and Sokka soon walked over and stood by Zuko.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice Tarrak. I expect that you all have the proper expertise as a search and rescue group?," Zuko questioned the men.

"We are honored to be of assistance to you, Fire Lord Zuko. We all have experience in tracking and fighting, but Mal, Akai, and Xia are our expert trackers. Xing, Suresh, Raleigh, Kizar, Amal, and I are our elite firebending soldiers," Tarrak introduced, gesturing to each person.

Zuko observed each one of them. The trackers were quite a bit younger than the elite firebenders looking somewhere between their twenties and thirties. The firebenders looked older and were more serious, hardened from their time on the battlefield.

"There is a clearing through that treeline," Zuko pointed to behind the group,"You may set up camp there and get ready for a day of searching. Once you are done, come get me inside the house. I can explain our situation in full detail then."

"Yes, Fire Lord," Tarrak gave a small bow before turning to the group of men,"Let's head out back and set up." The men all mounted their rides and rode up a small path that led into the forest leaving Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka.

"I guess we should get ready as well," Aang turned towards the remaining people in the group.

"Then I'm going to get something to eat before we go. Don't want to start searching on an empty stomach. See ya!," Sokka patted his stomach and gave a small wave before leaving to walk back into the house.

"We can get Appa ready for scouting. Come on, Katara." Aang waved Katara over and they both walked off towards the town square where Appa was being kept on the outskirts of the town in a small forested area.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to get ready. After all, they'd be searching such a large forest for one person. Zuko sighed and turned to follow after Sokka.

The inside of the house was busy with people, mostly construction workers as they worked to remove broken timbers to put new ones in place. On the other end of the room, Sokka was greedily eating a few fruits that were left in a basket on the table.

Turning, Zuko headed down the hallway to a temporary room. Closing the door behind him, he worked to remove his royal armor and change into more flexible clothing. The heavy armor wouldn't be too helpful in such a dense forest. Once he was in appropriate attire, he opened the door and exited his temporary bedroom.

Upon entering the main room, he immediately noticed Ursa and Ikem talking to each other while Kiyi played with her doll off to the side. She was the first one to notice him.

"Zuko! You're back!," Kiyi's face brightened into a smile and she rushed up to give him a hug. Zuko smiled at his little half-sister and returned her hug.

It took a few seconds for Ursa and Ikem to notice Zuko's presence in the room. Ursa immediately walked over to him, confusion evident on her face.

"We heard the commotion in the town square," Ursa tilted her head at him,"What are those men out back doing here?"

"There's nothing to worry about," Zuko placated. Her features softened a little," They're the search party that I've requested to help look for Azula. We'll be heading out soon. I was just about to get something to eat." Ursa nodded and Ikem walked over.

"Azula…? Isn't that the scary lady that attacked mommy?," Kiyi's eyes were wide with realization.

"Yes, she is, but don't worry. I won't let her hurt any of you," Zuko looked down at Kiyi,"We need to find her before she hurts anyone else...or herself,"

"We were wondering if you'd need our help as well. I don't know much about her, but I'll do anything to help a child of Ursa," Ikem kindly offered, looking at Zuko expectantly.

"I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I think it's best if you focus on taking care of Kiyi," Zuko saw a small flash of worry pass over Ursa's face. Zuko placed a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder,"You need to take care of your youngest child. We will find Azula. If it makes you feel any better, you can scout with Aang on Appa."

Ursa shook her head sadly and turned to look at her youngest daughter,"No, you're right. Kiyi is still growing. You and Azula are teenagers. Kiyi needs us to be there to take care of her."

"What! I can take care of myself," Kiyi frowned and stomped her foot.

"I know, but it's best that your parents stay here to look after you and keep you safe while we're out", Zuko tried to reason with his angry half-sister. Kiyi simply pouted and looked away.

"Well, if you're going to be leaving soon you should eat. We bought some fruit if you'd like to grab a quick snack," Ikem gestured to the table behind him where different fruits and a few other items sat.

"Thank you," Zuko smiled at Ikem and went over to sift through the fruits. Behind him Ursa and Ikem began talking to each other once more and Kiyi followed after Zuko.

Since it was the growing season, there was quite the variety to choose from: cherries, mangoes, apples, bananas. Zuko settled on an apple and began to eat it. Though he wasn't that hungry, a snack before heading out for the day wouldn't hurt. Kiyi reached up to sneak a few cherries before scampering off to play with her doll.

A few undisturbed minutes went by as Zuko finished his apple and Ursa and Ikem discussed their worries. Every once in a while a construction worker would walk by and ask one another for specific tools or items. A firm knock at the door caught everyone's attention. Ikem walked up and opened the door to reveal one of the elite firebenders, Xing.

"Hello, what do you need?," Ikem asked.

"Tarrak has sent me to fetch Fire Lord Zuko," Xing answered. Upon hearing his name, Zuko quickly ate the last bite of his apple, discarded the core, and walked to the door.

"Thank you for notifying me, Xing," Zuko said as he got to the door. The soldier nodded his head and turned to let Zuko leave. Zuko turned back to wave,"Well, wish us luck. Bye Kiyi, bye Ikem, bye Mom."

"Bye Zuko!," Kiyi waved enthusiastically.

"I wish you luck, Zuko," His mother smiled at him.

Ikem patted his shoulder,"I wish you luck as well."

Zuko smiled and returned their goodbyes before walking out of the door. Ikem closed the door and Xing fell in step behind Zuko. They walked around the side of the house and headed up a path that led into a small forested area. Just a short way up the road, the makeshift camp rested in a clearing.

There were three large tents that could house maybe four people each. In the middle of the camp, cooking supplies and a small rack was placed out. Off to the side, the ostrich horses and komodo rhinos were tied to some trees and on the other edge of the clearing Appa rested in a spot of sun and Momo flew around the trees trying to catch insects.

"Tarrak and the rest of them are in there," Xing pointed to the middle tent. Zuko nodded his head and they both crossed the camp.

He pushed the cloth out of the way as he entered the large tent. Inside a map was displayed on a small table and the soldiers were chatting with Aang, Katara, and Sokka who were circled around the map. Upon entering the tent, they all looked up and Zuko went to stand with the rest of the group. They all circled around and Tarrak stood across from Zuko.

"Thank you for coming to day, everyone," Zuko began,"I have requested your presence because my sister, Azula, former princess of the Fire Nation has fled into Forgetful Valley," He noticed that a few of the soldiers looked slightly uneasy at the mention of Azula's name.

Tarrak didn't hesitate,"We are at your service, Fire Lord Zuko. What would you like us to do?"

"Well, I last saw her run off into the east, through the small entrance between the cliffs over there", Zuko responded, pointing at a spot on the map,"We can start searching for clues there. I want your men to pair up into groups of two. Tarrak, I request that you pair with me."

"I can take Appa to do some scouting from the air," Aang insightfully added.

"And Sokka and I can pair up and search as well," Katara shared a smile with her brother.

Tarrak nodded,"Sounds like a plan, but if you do not mind me requesting, Fire Lord," Zuko waited for him to continue,"I would like for Xing and Suresh to take their ostrich horses to scout the treeline. This will equalize the groups into one tracker and one firebender."

Zuko considered his request before responding,"I will allow them to scout the treeline," he paused,"Before we go though, I order that you do **not** use lethal force. I want you to capture her, not injure her."

Tarrak bowed and so did the soldiers,"As you wish, Fire Lord."

Zuko nodded, satisfied, "All of you, meet back here at sundown to report your findings."

"Yes, sir!" they all said in unison and broke from the circle around the map. Most of the soldiers exited the tent while two men, whom Zuko assumed were Xing and Suresh, went to the back of the tent to grab what seemed like ropes with heavy weights on the ends before exiting the tent as well.

"Be safe out there, sweetie," Aang smiled at Katara and gave her a hug.

Katara hugged him back,"Don't worry I will."

"What's there to worry about? Aside from the fact that the person we are after is...well...Azula. Me and Mr. Boomerang will protect us!," Sokka proudly held out his boomerang,"Now, come on! Azula isn't going to catch herself."

With that, the four of them exited the tent. Katara and Sokka began their trek to the forest. Aang went to the edge of the clearing and mounted Appa. One "Yip yip!" later, they were off.

Zuko turned to Tarrak who had been waiting by the large tent they had just exited.

"We best get going," Zuko said to Tarrak. He nodded in response and began to follow after Zuko to the forest of Forgetful Valley.

As Zuko approached the cliffs he had last seen his sister run through, he frowned slightly.

_'Please, Azula. Wherever you are. Come back. I just want to help.'_

* * *

**I really hope I got the characters okay. I'm not too great with writing the Gaang. Also yes, there will be extra characters. I know that can sometimes off put someone from reading a story (I don't like extra characters either sometimes), but they're essential for progressing.**

**Well, I'll see you all next update... whenever that comes.**


	3. Chapter Two: The Town of Xin Tai

**Hello again. I'm back and bringing you a chapter far earlier than the last one. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope time skips don't bother anyone too much.**

**Once again, thank you for the reviews, favorites, and reads. It really gives me confidence knowing that people enjoy my writing.**

* * *

**Chapter Two: The Town of Xin Tai**

Five days.

It has been nearly five days and they weren't any closer to finding Azula. Sure, they found broken branches, scorched plants, and pieces of clothing, but the trail quickly went cold and there were no new leads.

Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka sat around a table inside the soldier's temporary camp, a map of the area laid out in front of them. Tarrak and his men were currently out in the forest searching the area around the last known trace of Azula.

"Where could she be?!," Zuko exclaimed in frustration, probably for the fifth time that morning. He sat with his head in his hands.

"Woah! Woah! Cool down, Zuko," Sokka placated, "You won't be able to think straight if you're angry."

"Yeah. I agree with Sokka. You need to calm down. If Azula has taught us anything, it's that you can't think straight when you're angry," Katara said, clearly remembering their fight.

"Let's look over the clues again," Aang suggested, "Maybe there's something we missed."

"What's there to miss? We've looked over these clues multiple times," Zuko looked up at Aang and then looked back down at the map and furrowed his eyebrows. Zuko let out a huff, "They all start at the entrance to the forest and trail for a few miles before ending abruptly. There's no sign of her past this point," Zuko then pointed to a spot in the forest on the map.

"Maybe she continued going east," Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"No. Azula is smart. She knows better than to head in just one direction," Zuko stated.

"I think we need to look at this situation from a different perspective," Aang looked questioningly at Zuko, "If you were Azula, where would you go?"

"Well for starters she's clever, sadistic, and mentally unstable, but that's just my opinion. You're her brother after all. You know her better than any of us do. How does Azula think?," Katara asked Zuko, who looked over the map in contemplative thought.

"Azula is tactical and calculative. She can plan months in advance. With her mental instability though, it either makes it a lot easier or a lot harder to predict what she'll do…," Zuko trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck in uncertainty.

While they conversed, Sokka was muttering to himself as he looked down at the map while he tapped his chin.

"How does Azula think… Azula think… think Azula… think Azula..."

Then it hit him.

"That's it!," Sokka abruptly stood up from his chair, startling his friends, "We have to think Azula! What's a better way of finding her than thinking like her?"

"That's a great idea, but isn't that what we're trying to do?," Aang looked confused, clearly trying not to hurt Sokka's feelings.

"No, no, no. I mean think like her, as in be like her. Leave it to me. I came up with the idea after all," Sokka said proudly. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath and gave probably one the weirdest Azula voice imitations ever.

"I am Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation. I am cruel, clever, and very unhinged. I will one day take the throne from my disgrace of a brother, Zuko," Zuko winced a bit at that part, "If I were to go somewhere I would go…," They all leaned in a little bit, "south."

"South? But, why south?," Zuko asked, bewildered.

"Isn't it obvious? It's reverse psychology," Sokka said confidently.

"But what reason would she have for heading towards the coast?," Katara questioned, raising an eyebrow at her brother.

"I doubt Azula would have headed to the coast," Zuko shook his head in disagreement, "If we're talking about where she might have gone, I say she headed north, probably back to the Capital City. She prefers to hide in plain sight. Plus, she wouldn't allow herself to get cornered with nowhere to escape to when things get dangerous."

"Then why did you send extra soldiers to the coastal villages?," Sokka asked.

"It's a safeguard just in case she does head that way," Zuko explained.

"I think Zuko has a point," Aang agreed. He then continued,"Also, we've only searched the eastern part of the forest. The northern part of the forest is a lot larger than the southern part, so it makes sense that she would go into the thick of it to get away."

Sokka frowned slightly and sat back down.

Katara patted his back, "Don't get yourself down. I thought your idea was good, but Zuko is right. Azula isn't the kind of person to allow herself to get caught. Also, I think she kind of dislikes water in more ways than one. Did you see the way she yelled at her reflection in the water?"

"Azula has definitely developed a disliking for water. She was never really a strong swimmer to begin with and I don't think what happened during our Agni Kai match helped either," Zuko added.

"Are you sure she didn't just keep heading east?," Sokka asked in one last ditch effort for someone to at least approve of one of his suggestions.

"I don't think the Earth Kingdom will allow her into the country if she did go that way," Aang shook his head.

Sokka sighed in defeat, "Then I guess that settles things."

Zuko nodded, "Once the search party comes back I'll inform them of our plans. We can start searching the northern part of the forest tomorrow. Meeting adjourned."

They all sat up from their chairs and left the tent. This time, Katara joined Aang on Appa to do some more scouting while Zuko went with Sokka. The day was still young and there was a lot more searching to be done.

* * *

Azula arrived on the outskirts of the seaside town that morning.

She'd been traveling for about a week now, only recently coming across a main travel route the day before. Of course she didn't directly walk on it. That would be foolish. She followed the trail from the forest.

To be perfectly honest, she could have probably made it to the town sooner if her body wasn't so extremely sore. The first two days of travel were the absolute worst. Stumbling through brush, struggling to climb over obstacles, sleeping in the dirt, not to mention the bugs. She was just relieved that she was out of that nightmare forest.

Finding food and water wasn't too hard. With enough searching she finally found a few streams and since it was the growing season, fruit trees weren't that hard to find. She was glad that she didn't need to hunt. Azula wasn't squeamish and she had a fair bit of survival training, but she preferred to not slave over getting her food.

Now, Azula crouched just off to the side of the main trail waiting for the perfect prey to pounce on. She observed the trail with interest. Wagons passed every so often, a few ostrich horses here and there, some groups of people. She waited patiently for the perfect opportunity.

Then her gaze sharpened.

Just coming over the hill, a lone man walked unsuspectingly. He wore a red hooded shoulder cape and better than average Fire Nation clothing. In his left hand he carried 2 fish and on his side he carried a small bag.

Azula observed the man who, unbeknownst to him, was walking into her trap. _'Fairly wealthy. Probably a farmer from a village over. The small pouch most likely contains money.'_

The man began to pass her location. There wasn't anyone around either. It was perfect.

With quick efficiency Azula lunged, clasping a hand over his mouth and wrapping her arms around his neck into a choke hold before forcefully pulling him into the forest. The man dropped the fish he was carrying and instantly began to struggle against her grasp.

Azula was just about to knock him unconscious when he suddenly swung a blast of orange flame at her. She quickly jumped back from the man and dispersed the flames. The man turned to face her. Not missing a beat, Azula sent a flying kick of her own azure flames into the man's chest before he could attack again.

His eyes widened in terror as he was sent flying into the trunk of a tree. He hit the tree with a hard thump and promptly fell unconscious before falling to the forest floor.

"The imbecile," Azula hissed as she proceeded to kneel to loot the man's body, "What an absolutely pathetic attack."

Azula immediately snatched the small bag from his side, which did indeed contain money. She then pulled the hood over his head and placed it aside. She would be needing that for when she entered the town.

A quick search of his person yielded nothing else of interest to Azula, so she grabbed her items and stood up. She placed the pouch of money into her pocket and slid the hood over her head before looking down at the man she just robbed.

Azula took a firebending stance and ignited her blue flames. She was just about to send a large blast of fire to rid the man from existence when a familiar soft voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Azula, are you sure you want to do this?"

Azula didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The madness slowly crept up from the recesses of her mind.

"Mother," Azula said with malice, "Of course you'd be the one to intervene. How did you find me?"

"You do not need to hurt the poor man," the hallucination of her mother said in a monotonous voice, ignoring her question.

"You can't order me around. The worthless peasant deserves to die for attacking me," Azula clenched her fists.

"Think about the consequences, my darling."

"Don't call me that!"

"Zuko will be disappointed with you for killing an innocent man."

The very mention of Zuko sparked her anger and she violently turned to face Ursa.

"OF COURSE YOU'D CARE ABOUT WHAT ZUZU THINKS!," Azula yelled, a shrill tone entering her voice. By now her breathing became rapid and her eyes were dilated.

"And I care about you too, Azula," her mother responded, unfazed by her outburst. Azula cackled; a disturbing sound to anyone who may have been listening.

"I know a liar when I see one, mother," Azula glared murderously at Ursa, "You wanted nothing more to do with me. That's why you left all those years ago."

"You know that's not true, my daughter," Ursa reached out for Azula. Azula took a step back.

"You don't get to decide what I think is true and what I think is false!," Azula violently pointed at Ursa, "What is true is that your precious little Zuzu is going to die and you will die with him!"

"And what does it have to do with him?," Ursa gestured to the man slumped against the tree trunk. Azula forgot he was even there.

"He is in my way, just like you are in my way! If I don't kill him, then I'll get caught."

"You do not need to kill the poor man." The conversation looped. Azula hated it when the conversation looped. It could go on for hours and was beyond annoying, but sometimes Azula just couldn't help but respond. She opted to stay quiet this time, not wanting to give her mother the opportunity to drag the conversation on longer than needed. She had somewhere to be.

Ursa must have taken Azula's silence as contemplative thought. "Please, just think about the consequences of your actions," Her mother pleaded.

Azula was already pushed past her limits. She had no more patience for her mother's antics.

"YOU KNOW WHAT! FINE! I'LL THINK ABOUT MY ACTIONS, BUT DON'T YOU DARE THINK THAT I CARE ABOUT ANYTHING YOU SAY! NOW, JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!," Azula snarled at Ursa and she lashed out with a blast of blue fire. The hallucination of her mother faded as the flames hit her.

As much as Azula hated listening to her mother talk, she absolutely loathed taking any advice from that woman. But this time if Azula didn't take her advice, then her mother would come back and most likely torment her even further.

She stood there for a good minute clutching her chest as she slowed her heavy breathing. Her arguments with her mother always left her exhausted and breathless. Azula reached up to massage her temples. Great. Her headache was back.

Azula grumbled and turned back to face the unconscious man. She may as well get this over and done with. She still couldn't believe that she was actually doing this. Tilting her head, she contemplated the man's fate, "_To kill or not to kill…"_

On one hand, killing the man would relieve her of the problem of being caught. But if his body was found, the murder of an innocent would be added to her list of crimes and she might be executed. If she let him live, he would probably go running to the guards and Zuko would be alerted to her location.

It was either be captured by Zuzu or be sentenced to death, and if she was being honest with herself, those were virtually the same. Still, she didn't want to die and if she was captured there is always a chance that she could escape.

There was also the option of killing the man just to spite mother. It sounded promising, but then she would have Ursa and Zuko snapping at her heels, more so than they did already.

"Consider yourself lucky that I spared you, peasant," Azula spat as she turned to walk back to the road.

Azula looked left and right before stepping out into the open. She hoped no one passed by and noticed any of that. She cursed herself for doing such a sloppy job. She walked down the dirt path, approaching the entrance. A sign at the top read "Xin Tai".

Before she even entered the town, she noticed the guards at the entrance on high alert. Azula pulled the hood further over her face as she approached the town. With so many people going in and out, she doubted the guards would pay attention to one person specifically. She kept her head down and blended in with the crowd, slipping by with relative ease.

_'I should probably be thankful that those guards are so horrible at their jobs,' _Azula scoffed to herself_, 'They should be banished for letting someone such as me slip by them.'_

The town was a lot larger than expected. Walking through the streets, Azula looked at her surroundings and noticed something peculiar. Amongst the Fire Nation style decoration and architecture was Water Tribe style art. Carvings and small murals of the moon and the ocean spirit littered the area. Even a few flags bore a picture of the moon.

_'Zuzu surely couldn't have established a relationship with the Water Tribe so soon after the war, could he?,' _Azula questioned. She shrugged off the topic. After all, she was here to get supplies, not dwell over peasants.

Azula walked towards the market and quietly joined the crowd of bustling people. Her eyes scanned the area as she walked around. It didn't take long for Azula to spot her desired destination. She cut through the crowd and entered the clothing shop.

**...**

The afternoon had passed and the sun was starting to dip towards the horizon. By now, most of the people were closing up their shops and returning home.

Azula walked out of the market area wearing hole-free red clothing with the hood still over her head. All she really needed were new pants and long sleeves. Coupled with additions from her previous outfit, it looked similar to what she wore before. It may have not lived up to the quality of her clothing from the palace, but at least it was clean and free of holes.

She bought mostly necessities: a sleeping roll mat, a small blanket, some fruit, strips of dried hippo cow jerky, a water skin, and a bag to hold her items. It should be enough to last her a few days till she reached the next town. Now, with her list of stuff cleared, it was time to leave Xin Tai before any alarm was raised.

At least that was Azula's plan until a delicious smell caught her attention. She stopped walking and looked up to her right to see a small seafood restaurant. Azula hesitated.

_'No, keep your mind on track. You need to get out of here as soon as you can. But, you haven't had a decent meal in nearly five days. The least you can do is-Is leave so you don't get caught! You are a princess, you are entitled to a nice meal,' _her thoughts raged on.

Azula grabbed the small pouch of money from her side and observed it's contents. A few copper pieces remained. Maybe there was enough for a meal? She was undecided.

She caught another waft of the delicious seafood and her stomach lurched. Never mind. It was decided. Azula turned and entered the building.

The smell of seafood overwhelmed her senses as soon as she entered the doors. There was no going back now. Azula scanned the room, hoping to find a lone table where she could eat away from people, but to no avail. The place was busy, so she took a seat at one of the open tables off to the side.

Opening the menu on the table, Azula was greeted by the list of gourmet dishes and specials which were priced ridiculously high.

_'If I were still at the palace I could get these same dishes with the wave of my hand,'_ Azula grumbled in annoyance.

With her limited amount of money Azula decided that she'd order a steamed fish, one of the lower priced dishes. It wasn't long till a waitress came by and took her order before promptly retreating to the kitchen.

Azula sat in her booth in silence, picking her nails in idle. She listened in on a few conversations from the people around her, but dismissed them when their topics proved to be boring.

"Did you hear the stories about that island?"

"What? The small one off to the south?"

The voices of two old men came from the booth behind her. Azula was going to simply dismiss their conversation if it weren't for the hushed voices in which they spoke. Her hearing sharpened as she eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Yeah, Mako Island."

"Oh, yes. I've heard tales about that place."

"Tonight is a full moon. I hear that every month, when the full moon is at its peak, something magical happens on that island."

"I haven't been in this town long, but based on the art posted around I wouldn't doubt that."

"The fishermen here can tell you more about that place. You should ask them about their experiences."

"Maybe I'll do that one day."

"So, how long have you been living here?"

Their voices returned to normal talking levels and Azula quickly lost interest when they began to chat about their home life. She thought over the information that she just learned about.

_'So that explains the art. They worship that inferior culture because of some island,' _Azula felt aggravated for their disloyalty_, 'Not good enough of a reason to turn your back on your own culture."_

15 minutes passed before the waitress came with the steaming plate of fish she ordered. Azula handed her the rest of her copper pieces and waited for the woman to walk off.

Azula took a bite of the fish, savoring the flavor. Five days of only fruit made the fish taste absolutely delicious. Too bad she wouldn't be tasting food like this for maybe the next few weeks until she hunted something or stole enough money to buy another plate. Azula ate slowly.

It was another 10 minutes before Azula finished the plate. Satisfied, she picked up her stuff and walked out of the building. By now the sun was setting. Time to hit the road.

She wasn't even 20 feet from the restaurant when a voice caught her attention.

"Hey! You there! Take off your hood, now!," Azula turned to see guards force a nearby person to take off their shoulder hood. "Not her, keep looking." One of the guards then looked at her and stormed over to her location, "You over there! Take off your hood!"

_'Ashes!,' _Azula cursed and quickly turned around to flee.

"Hey! Halt! After that person, it may be her! I'll get reinforcements!," Azula could hear heavy footsteps rushing after her. Azula turned the corner and rushed through the cart-crowded street. Though there weren't many people, she hoped the obstacles would slow them down. She could hear her pursuers knocking over carts and items and ordering people to move.

_'Useless hood,'_ she slipped the garment from over her head and dropped it, '_Won't be needing this anymore. What's the point of it if they're going after every person wearing one?'_

Azula was just about to turn a corner when a new group of guards appeared and blasted fire. She jumped over their flames and landed before sending a sweeping kick of blue fire, forcing them to back up and let her continue running.

"It's her! It's the princess! Tell the guards at the front gate to lock down the town! We can't let her escape!"

_'I knew I shouldn't have let that filthy peasant live.'_ Azula was frustrated. How was she going to get out now?

The problem only got worse as even more guards came out from behind corners and began to slowly close in. Azula needed to find a place to hide so she could plan a way to escape the town.

Azula neared the docks. There wasn't going to be much ground left. Thinking quickly she vaulted over a cart, sending the goods flying, and set it ablaze before making a sharp turn through a dark alleyway. The guards cursed behind her.

She burst out into another street, quickly turning and running down another alley way. There was no one behind her now, but to be safe she made a few more quick jumps and turns until she could see the expansive ocean ahead of her.

Running into the open, Azula raced to the docks and jumped down onto the wooden structure. She quickly slipped underneath a stairway. It wasn't the best of hiding spots, but it would do for now. It wasn't long before footsteps began to approach her location, to which they passed right over her.

"We've lost her!"

"No we haven't! Hurry, search the streets before it gets too dark!"

And with that, their footsteps faded. Azula let herself rest. It didn't last long.

"You convinced me to let that peasant live and now look where that has gotten me! Curse you mother, it's all your fault!," Azula snarled. There was no reply, "Good! Stay quiet. I don't want to hear from you."

Azula dropped the conversation. There were more important matters to attend to, like escaping this Agni forsaken town. The guards would eventually find her. She needed to think.

The front gates were definitely off limits. The streets were probably littered with guards. The walls of the town were probably guarded as well. Zuzu really prepared just in case she showed up, didn't he? Where could she go…?

The conversation the two old men came to mind.

_'They said something about an island to the south, did they not?,' _Azula peered out at the ocean, spotting the tiny speck of land against the dying light. "_Perfect. I could sail there under the cover of darkness and hide out there for the night."_

And so she waited for the sun to set, and for the moon to rise. Azula was tense, ready to fight if anyone came her way. Some guards came close, but never thought to check the docks.

"Oh Zuzu, couldn't you have at least gotten smarter guards? They're pathetic," Azula scoffed as third patrol that evening passed by her.

Night overtook the Fire Nation. Stealthily she snuck out from her hiding place, making sure no one was around before running across the dock to an area filled with fishing boats. She walked along the dock and began to browse.

Azula didn't care about the large fancier looking boats. Those would attract too much attention. She needed stealth and reliability. A small steam boat caught her attention. It was made of thin metal and barely enough room for three people. Not the best, but will get the job done.

Azula dropped her bag of items into the small craft and untied the rope keeping the boat tethered to the dock. She jumped into the vessel pushed the boat away from the dock before heading towards the engine. Azula opened the small hatch to the boiler and held her flame underneath.

As the water slowly heated up and evaporated, the boat began to pull away from the dock. Soon the small craft was sailing across the moonlit water as it's engine reached full speed.

Azula set her sights on the small dark speck of land to the south. She was going to Mako Island.

* * *

**It's so fun to play around with Azula's psychology and how she thinks. I just love her sassy attitude. It's also really enjoyable to add descriptive words, so I hope you all have fun with the next chapter when I get around to posting it.**


	4. Chapter Three: Mako Island

**Hello! I hope you all have a lot of fun with this chapter. I was really anticipating posting this one. Finally getting this ball rolling. Let's go!**

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**Chapter Three: Mako Island**

Bataar waddled out of his small home with his fishing rod over his shoulder and a bucket of bait at his side. He was a fairly old fisherman with a frail frame and long white hair. Tonight, he was going to go night fishing.

Night fishing was one of the most calming activities that Bataar could do. He absolutely loved fishing in his small steamboat with only the lapping of waves to accompany him. Sometimes, the catch was great and he would come home with lots of fish, while other times the fish would barely bite. But on a full moon, the fish were more active than they could ever be.

His enthusiasm only made him the more surprised when he went down to the dock to find his boat gone. At first he was confused, but a sinking feeling filled his chest as he frantically scanned the area.

Someone surely couldn't have stolen his boat, could they? Maybe the rope broke or maybe he forgot to tie it again.

No. If the rope broke, then one half of it would still be tied to the dock and the last time he went fishing was two days ago. He remembered his boat still being there the day after. The sinking feeling only got worse as his fears were confirmed.

Bataar dropped his fishing rod and bucket of bait before turning around and scrambling up the stairs and into the streets. His eyes frantically searched the dim streets for the police station. Once he spotted the building, he made a beeline for the front doors.

Bataar burst through the doors, startling a few of the people in the lobby. He immediately went to the nearest guards who were stationed outside of a door.

"Officers! Officers! I was going to-went to dock-night fish-boat not-," Bataar said through heavy breaths as he leaned over with his hands on his knees.

"Calm down. I can't hear a thing you're saying. Take a moment to catch your breath and then we'll talk," a guard placed a hand on his shoulder. The door they were stationed in front of suddenly opened and out walked a man in heavy armor.

"What is all this yelling about out here?!," the man demanded, glaring at the two guards. He stood tall and waited patiently for the men to answer. The guards swiftly turned to face him.

"Sorry to disturb you Chief Kali. This fisherman here barged through the front doors and began to rant on about a boat," one of the men gestured to Bataar who was still breathing heavily.

"I have more important matters to attend to. We can listen to his story later. File out a report and we can assess it tomorrow," and with that Kali began to turn back into the room.

"W-wait! Please! At least hear me out first before you leave!," Bataar pleaded and hurried up to the large man. The guards roughly grabbed his arms and pulled him back.

The chief turned back to look at Bataar before sighing heavily, "Put him down. Let him say what he wants to say," the men quickly let go of the old man's arms. "You better make this quick."

Bataar bowed, "T-thank you! Thank you! Well I was just about to go night fishing and I went down to the docks to find my steamboat gone! I think someone stole my boat. There was no sign of the rope breaking and I'm certain I tied-"

"A boat! Of Course! She escaped on a boat!" The chief's eyes widened in realization. "At attention!" The two guards straightened their posture, "Tell all the other guards to meet at the port immediately!," Kali said in urgency.

The men nodded and ran off through the doors. Bataar stood in stunned silence. What was going on!? Who was **she**? Was it the girl on the posters? Why did it have to be his boat?

The chief turned back to the room he came from and bellowed, "Men, I want you to acquire some boats with cells and get a crew ready. We need to start searching the water now!"

A loud "Yes sir!" echoed from the room and out walked five soldiers who were better dressed than the two men who just left but less decorated than the chief. They had been sitting at a table with a map of the town and surrounding forests.

Kali turned to Bataar and patted his shoulder before walking off with the other soldiers, "Thank you for your contributions."

The old fisherman simply looked at the chief. He was just hoping that he could get his boat back. Too bad it seemed to be involved in some manhunt.

* * *

The volcano of Mako Island loomed over Azula as she sat near a small campfire by a stream. The full moon shone brightly in the night sky and illuminated the mist surrounding the volcanic mountain, giving the island a mystical feeling to it.

The trip to the island took two grueling hours and another thirty minutes to bring the boat on land, find a place to camp, and set up. Azula was exhausted from a day of almost constant traveling and she wanted nothing more than to sleep. Much to her annoyance, she's been up for the past hour because **someone **wouldn't shut up and let her sleep.

"I told you to shut up and leave me alone! If the message wasn't clear enough, I meant that I wanted you to shut up and leave me alone FOREVER!," Azula yelled from her spot near the fire at the hallucination of her mother.

Ursa was standing near the edge of the camp fire's light. Her mother, as always, was dressed in her usual royal clothing and hairstyle with a neutral facial expression and a dead look in her eyes.

Ursa looked slightly somber when she responded, "I didn't want to abandon my child."

"_Hypocrite!"_

Azula clenched her fists in rage, "You should have thought of that before you abandoned me all those years ago! Where were you for six years?! OH RIGHT! YOU LEFT ME AND RUINED MY LIFE!" The campfire grew intense and the flame tips took on a blue hue before dying down to its normal orange color.

Ursa only looked on sadly from the dim light. "I love you, Azula…"

Azula scowled. She pressed her hands to her ears and flopped onto her back before rolling over to face in the opposite direction. Ugh, if only she hadn't been in such a hurry to leave Hira'a. She had brought a bag of supplies with her. If she had brought it, then she wouldn't have needed to spend so much time in that town and she wouldn't be stuck here right now.

"Stop lying and shut up already! You've been telling me that for the past hour and it isn't going to make me believe you no matter how hard you try to convince me!"

"_I just want some damn sleep. Is that too much to ask for?"_

The hands over her ears were futile and did nothing to stop her mother's voice from echoing in her head. "Please, Azula. Let go of your grudges. I love you and Zuko loves you. You can't keep us from loving you."

That was it. This conversation went on for far too long. Azula was tired of hearing her mother lie about how people actually cared for her. Azula violently got up from her spot on the ground and stood to confront her mother standing partially in the darkness.

"I'm tired of hearing you lie so blatantly! What's more important is how in Agni's name you found me.!" Azula was genuinely curious. She truly didn't know how Ursa found her. Azula didn't see any sign of her mother in Forgetful Valley or when she escaped on that boat.

"As I've said before, I didn't want to abandon my child," Ursa smiled slightly, probably the only noticeable expression she could ever give. Azula growled in frustration.

"_This conversation is going nowhere!"_

"How did you find me, **mother**," Azula pinned her mother with her gaze. Ursa's smile dropped.

"How do you think I found you?" her mother simply replied. This only added to Azula's rage.

"I am the one asking the questions here! Don't try to draw attention away from you. Answer me now," Azula demanded in a voice that became dangerously low and collected.

Ursa only sighed and became even more somber looking, "I'm just looking out for you, my de-"

A collection of twigs snapping from the forest behind Azula suddenly caught her attention. "Quiet!," she hissed, cutting off her mother, "I think something is here." Surprisingly, her mother did stay quiet, but Azula was too distracted to notice.

Azula turned to peer into the shadow-filled forest. The snapping continued and seemed to grow closer to Azula's location. She shot up from her spot on the ground and got into a defensive firebending stance. She scanned the direction that the sounds were coming from.

"_Mostly likely an animal. Nothing I can't handle." _Azula wasn't bothered, but still. She didn't want an animal wandering around her campsite.

That's when she saw the light. A small flickering flame in the distance. The single flame then turned into a collection of them and the snapping twigs got slightly louder. Azula swiftly snuffed out her campfire, making sure to leave not one ember burning. Adrenaline began to pump through her veins.

Azula turned to her mother in outrage, "You traitor! No wonder why you've been keeping me up! You've given those soldiers my location and your keeping me exhausted so they can catch me easier! I should have attacked you the second I saw you! I will not let you win **mother**!"

The hallucination of her mother frowned slightly before backing into a small shadowed area and disappearing.

"You coward," Azula growled at her departing mother before turning and racing to roll up her sleeping mat and collect her things.

"Hey, where'd that fire go?"

"I think I heard something over here."

They were getting closer. Azula could faintly hear their voices. She hurried up her actions, haphazardly stuffing the sleeping mat into her bag before throwing a strap over her shoulder and running in the opposite direction.

"_Damn it, damn it, damn it!," _Azula swore to herself. She shouldn't have been so naive. Nothing good ever happened when her mother was around. She should have taken her mother's presence as a warning.

Azula ran to the nearby stream, hopping from one boulder to the next trying to carefully navigate around a small waterfall in the moonlight. She wished she could use her bending to see, but it was too risky. The sounds coming from behind her started to get closer and the light of their fires intensified.

She moved quicker, the rocks clacking together as they shifted from her weight. She hurried to climb the small hill of rocks to reach a large boulder that would take her to the forest. She leapt across a small stream of water. Azula was almost there, so close to freedom. But, just as she was about to reach for the large boulder, she failed to notice the slick rocks.

Her foot slipped from underneath her and Azula yelped in surprise as she went sliding down into the darkness of a small hidden cave below the large boulder.

Just then, the soldiers arrived at her campsite.

Azula landed on the damp sand covered floor with a grunt. The cave was absolutely pitch black, with only the entrance to provide weak moonlight.

She groaned in slight discomfort as she lifted herself from her spot on the floor.

"_What unfortunate place have I found myself in this time?," _Azula thought irritably. She lit a small blue flame in her hand to illuminate the area.

The walls were made out of brilliant black volcanic rock that sparkled in the blue light and the floor was covered with soft, fine sand. On the other end of the small room was a staircase of rocks leading to a dark cave way. The stairs seemed out of place in the cave. They looked to have been carved into the rock as if someone had been here previously.

Azula's gawking was cut short when she remembered that there were guards searching for her and that they could possibly see the light of her blue fire. She dimmed her flame down to the intensity of a candle.

"_Better to be safe than sorry. I wish I had taken that advice earlier, now look at where I am." _Azula gazed around at the cavern before turning to retrieve her bag, which had fallen off her shoulder during the slide. She looked up the hole she had fallen down.

A small trickle of water flowed down the cave entrance and the rock was lined with wet moss. It would be too slippery to climb back up. She could use her bending to evaporate the water, but she'd rather remain hidden than alert them. Especially while on a small island where they could surround her. The only way out, really, was to continue on through the cave and hope it exited somewhere.

Azula decided to continue on through the cave. She walked to the other side of the room and ascended the rock staircase. The tunnel was made of the same volcanic rock, and a few blue gemstones stuck out in different areas. As she walked deeper into the cave, Azula increased her fire's ferocity to illuminate more of the path.

It was after a few minutes of walking that Azula felt a breeze flow through the tunnel, suggesting a possible exit. She quickened her pace and a dim light came to view through an opening ahead. Azula exited the tunnel, and was awestruck by what she saw.

She was inside the monstrous volcano of Mako Island. The opening of the volcano let the bright moonlight shine in. The walls of the magnificent cavern were made of the same brilliant volcanic rock and the floor was completely covered in sand. Most spectacular of all was the large pool of majestic blue water that resided right beneath the cone of the volcano.

Azula gazed in awe as she walked about the cavern. It felt so peaceful here. So isolated and protected. Although she never dabbled too much into spirit world stuff, the place was obviously very spiritual. If the Avatar were here, he'd rant on to everyone about how spiritual the place was and to be respectful.

The harsh reality of her situation presented itself once more. She needed to focus on getting out and getting off the island. If she were here under different circumstances, then she wouldn't mind staying a while to relax.

Azula sweeped the walls of the cavern for a passageway out, searching every end of the room. She even checked the cavern twice to be sure she didn't miss anything. Aside from the tunnel she came in through, there were no other exits. At least, not an exit above the water.

It was then that she noticed something peculiar about the pool of water. The water was rippling. It wasn't stagnant like an isolated body of water. On the other end of the pool, an indentation in the rock suggested an underwater cave.

She nealt down next to the pool and her suspicions were confirmed when she smelled the familiar scent of salty ocean water. Azula frowned in disapproval at what she was thinking.

With the guards above ground and no other exit from the cavern above the water, swimming through the underwater cave was probably the only other option of escape. The thought of getting wet was disgusting.

Azula disliked the water. She didn't completely hate it nor did she have aquaphobia, and bless anyone who dare to say she couldn't swim, she just preferred to avoid it. Of course drinking and bathing were exceptions, but recently water seemed to be even more unfavorable to Azula.

The water was like a constant reminder that she had lost everything. Most of the time her mother would appear in Azula's reflection and torture her mind with lies of love. Other times she would be reminded of her humiliating defeat at the hands of that water peasant on the day of Sozin's Comet. And sometimes, just sometimes she would be reminded of a time when her family was actually happy...

Azula shook the intrusive thoughts from her head. She needed to focus on escaping the island as soon as possible. No time for insignificant feelings to sabotage her plans.

Still, she felt a twinge of annoyance. She had just bought new clothing and supplies, and here she was destroying them already.

Azula stood at the edge of the pool before tentatively stepping into the water and onto a staircase that seemed to have been carved into the rock as well. The water was strangely warm. Slowly she descended into the water until it reached her chest. Azula cringed a bit at the feeling of wet clothing.

"_I don't even know if it exits somewhere. For all I know, it could be a lot longer than I expected and I'll drown. Think about that. The great Fire Princess, drowning!," _Azula mentally argued with herself_,"Ugh, you're already drenched and in the water. Stop complaining and get it over and done with."_

Azula huffed and she steeled herself. She secured her bag of items around her body and began to steady her breathing with a quick exercise. She was just about to take a gasp of air and dive under when suddenly the pool began to bubble.

"What the…?!" A feeling of panic began to rise within Azula's chest as the water began to bubble more violently. She swung her head left and right. The whole pool of water seemed to be in a torrent.

She lifted her startled gaze to the mouth of the volcano and her golden eyes widened. Passing overhead, the full moon inched into view as the time approached midnight. As soon as Azula's eyes locked onto the celestial body she was mesmerized by its light. Her mind went numb and her body felt weightless.

The moon shone so incredibly bright and its power felt overwhelming. It was as if Tui, the moon spirit itself, was giving her its power. She couldn't tear her eyes from the full moon as it centered itself in the volcano opening. The moon flashed and magically, golden bubbles began to rise into the sky from the churning water.

Ever so slowly, the moon inched away from the center of the volcano opening as it continued its celestial path. The golden bubbles stopped rising and the pool slowly ceased it's boiling. Not even three minutes later, the moon disappeared from sight and let Azula go from its otherworldly pull. The whole event ended as quickly as it had started.

Azula felt dazed. She stood there in the water for a good 20 seconds as she processed the event. She could feel a headache coming on.

"_What in the great name of Agni was that?!," _Azula was absolutely perplexed. The question only brought up more questions and her small headache intensified.

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath. She needed to focus on the immediate threat of the guards. She can ask questions later.

Azula reopened her eyes and readjusted her bag. Once ready, she took a deep breath before diving beneath the surface. As she predicted, the indentation in the rock led to an underwater cave. She swam through the cave as quickly as she could, the phantom fear of drowning still lingering in the back of her mind.

As her supply of air was expended, a twinge of panic surged through Azula. Her lungs slowly tightened the more she remained underwater. The cave was dark and the water was cold, unlike the cavern she had left. It was too far to swim back and who knows how far the cave went.

Her fears subsided when the confines of the cave opened and the blurry outlines of a reef appeared before her in the dim moonlight. Azula immediately started swimming upwards. As soon as her head breached the surface of the water, she gulped at the precious oxygen. She treaded the water, keeping her head above the surface as she looked around.

It was dark. Extremely dark. The moon barely did anything to brighten the area, unlike what she had experienced in the cave just a few minutes before. The water looked black in the night. Behind her, a cliff rose from the ocean, and above that the dormant volcano loomed in the night sky.

Azula desperately needed to get on land. She was going to tire out soon. If she were more active, then staying afloat for a long period of time wouldn't be a problem, but the staff in that dastardly asylum prohibited her from actively training. Of course they let her exercise from time to time (under strict supervision) and sometimes she would slip in some training while alone, or else she wouldn't have made it this far.

The cliffs were far too steep and treacherous to approach. Though it was the closest land to her, she didn't want to be smashed against the rocks. Azula peered into the darkness, scarcely spotting the outline of the island in the night. To the left, she could see the cliffs dip down into what she assumed was a beach further down the shoreline.

A slight humming noise that was quickly drawing near ripped her from her thoughts. At first Azula wasn't able to hear it, but when the humming became louder than the sound of the waves, she quickly turned around. Rapidly approaching was a large metal boat with a dozen of people standing on it.

"_Ashes! How did they find me in this darkness?," _A wave of dread washed over Azula as she saw the craft move towards her location.

Although there wasn't much she could do, she turned and began to swim towards the cliff. Screw it. She'd rather risk the rocks than let Zuzu and Ursa have their victory.

The action proved futile when waters around her began to shift and the rough voice of the captain could be heard yelling commands at the crew. There was no chance of fighting back against the heavy chain as it wrapped around her left leg and began to drag her under the surface. Afterall, what was a firebender in the water other than useless?

Panic rushed through her body and the natural instinct to stay alive kicked in. Azula frantically kicked and flailed in an attempt to keep her head above the surface as the heavy metal dragged her down. The horrid salt water made her gag as she tried to take a gasp of air.

The chain suddenly yanked and her body was forcefully tugged towards the boat. As she got closer, another chain was thrown and wrapped tightly around her right bicep. Instead of sinking further, the chains began to lift her out of the water, painfully pulling at her limbs.

Azula struggled to inhale as she coughed up the salty water. She cringed in pain as the chains tugged her further from the water. She didn't dare try to fight against the chains as she was hoisted up the side of the boat. Too much struggling and she would surely dislocate her arm, making the experience much worse than it already was.

Azula clenched her teeth and tensed as hands began to grasp at her arms and pull her onto the vessel. She began to breathe heavily. The feeling of helplessness and weakness was scary. She hated it. Rage began to boil within her.

Two guards roughly grasped her arms and forced them behind her back before cuffing her wrists. Another pair of men came over and undid the chains that were wrapped painfully around her limbs. Azula struggled and even attempted to kick the guard that was undoing the chain around her leg.

"If I were fully rested, you'd all be begging for mercy!," she snarled and glared angrily at the men. She had been running around all day and barely had any sleep. She silently cursed her body for being so useless.

"Save your breath," an authoritative voice sounded from behind her and a rather tall, bearded man walked around to stand in front of her. Based on the intricate designs his armor bore, Azula assumed that he was the captain.

"You've attacked and stolen from a man, attacked soldiers, stolen a boat, and now you're threatening us? You're lucky that I'm being nice. I don't think Fire Lord Zuko would be too pleased to find that we've treated you badly." Azula glared venomously at the Captain, locking golden eyes.

"Take her down to the cells and have two guards stationed outside," He took a few seconds to regard her appearance. "And give her a blanket and a towel. I don't want her to suffer from hypothermia." The captain waved his hand and the guards holding her arms turned around and began to escort her towards a doorway.

"Now," the captain began from behind her. She sharpened her hearing. "Fetch me some messenger hawks. We must contact the other ships and tell Fire Lord Zuko that we've found her." Footsteps began to walk away from her.

They obviously didn't know what she was capable of doing. Talking about important information while in earshot of her was dangerous. Even if she was captured, the ignorant captain unknowingly gave her a chance at escape. Her anger dissipated into a feeling of opportunistic glee. Azula smirked as she was guided through the metal doorway and down a staircase.

As they guided her, she took note of where they were taking her. They turned right at the bottom of the staircase a took a left to a long hallway. Below deck, it was much colder. The metal didn't do much to insulate heat. Royal ships were lined specially to keep the interior warm, and fire would help sustain the heat. The small ship was nothing more than a few linings of metal and torches were spaced so that there were few as possible. She watched as they passed by a few sets of doors that were labeled as storage and maintenance rooms.

They brought her to the end of the hall where two doors faced opposite to one another. One of the men opened the right door and they guided her into the cell block. The cell block of the ship was small, with only 4 cells and little space for movement. They opened the first cell door.

One of the guards removed her bag from her shoulder and threw it off to the side while the other uncuffed her before roughly shoving her into the small space. Azula stumbled slightly and looked back to scowl at the two men. The cell door was slammed shut and was promptly locked. Azula huffed and went over to sit on the rather plain looking cell bed before observing the guards outside. A plan was brewing.

A few minutes passed before two guards, one male and female, came up to the men that escorted her and dismissed them. Azula guessed that they'd be guarding her for the rest of the night. She took note of how young looking they were. The captain must've been understaffed. That or he severely underestimated her. The two men who brought her here must be working somewhere else on the ship. She took note of the keys that hung at the man's side.

The female, who was carrying a towel and a rather thin red blanket, looked at Azula through the bars before throwing them to her,"Water and cold don't go together, so dry off and give the towel back to me when you're done."

"Also, while you're here, don't ya even think 'bout tryin' to firebend," the young male threatened.

Azula didn't say anything back. Instead she obliged and stood up to wring the water from her clothing. As she worked to remove the excess water, her mind lapsed in and out of thought.

"_So, the captain had not yet sent out a message to the other ships, nor Zuzu. This could be good. If the steamboat took two hours to get to the island, then the metal ship would probably take about half that time."_

Azula undid her hair and let it fall before wringing out what water she could remove. She bent down and picked up the towel, rubbing her hair vigorously.

"_The time it takes a hawk to deliver a message depends on how far apart the ships are. If the ships are more spread out, then there would be less guards. However, if they're closer I'll have to work quick."_

Once Azula was satisfied with how dry her hair was, she placed down the towel and bent down to remove her shoes and wring out her socks. The floor was cold.

"_Zuzu is most likely still in Hira'a. It would probably take quite a few hours to deliver a message that far and another couple hours to travel to the town. Even if my first window of opportunity closed, I'd still have time to outsmart the guards."_

She picked up the towel once more. Azula pondered whether or not she should just take off her shirt and pants and then wring them out, but she settled for patting down her clothing. She's already lost so much, best to not lose her dignity as well.

"_The guards standing outside the cell are quite young. Strong and quick, but inexperienced. They're probably trained to deal with simple thugs and basic firebenders. They'd be dispatched quickly. Take down the one closest to the exit and grab the one with the keys."_

Azula shivered, half from the cold and half in disgust. Even though her clothes were relatively dry, the feeling of her damp clothing rubbing against her skin was irritating. She sat down and began to comb her hair with her fingers. As she began to relax, the familiar weight of exhaustion began to seep into her muscles.

"_Only an hour for a power nap. Some sleep is better than no sleep. Best to save my energy,"_Azula thought with a yawn.

Azula re-tied her hair into a ponytail and slipped her damp socks and shoes back on. As uncomfortable as it was, she needed to be ready to make her move when they reached the harbor. She threw the used towel at the bars of her cell and bent down to pick up the thin blanket.

Azula laid back on the small cell bed and turned to face the wall, throwing the blanket over herself before curling up to conserve heat. Despite the growing anticipation, Azula fell into a light sleep.

* * *

The forest of Forgetful Valley was peacefully quiet as a soft, cool wind blew thin mist through the trees after a night of light rain. Peeking from behind some clouds, the sky began to turn from a dark purple to a dim yellow as the early morning approached. Resting just outside the forest, the small sleepy village of Hira'a slowly stirred to life.

Mal and Akai, who had awoken an hour before sunrise, were tasked with tending to the komodo rhinos and ostrich horses and getting them ready for a day of searching. The two brothers trudged back and forth through the mud, carrying bales of hay to a small rickety stable. One of the villagers were kind enough to let the soldiers use the old stable to house the animals.

Mal let out a relieved sigh as he threw down the last hay bale in front of Kizar's komodo rhino. He stood up and stretched his sore back before wiping some beads of sweat from his forehead. The large beast bent its head down and sniffed at the hay before reluctantly eating.

Mal smiled sympathetically at the animal and patted its nose horn,"I know you don't like hay that much, but it's the only thing available right now. We'll get you some meat soon." The komodo rhino grunted in response and continued to slowly eat.

"Mal!," a loud voice caught Mal's attention, "Are you done yet? I want to get back to the house."

"Yeah, I'm done, Akai!," Mal called back. He gave the komodo rhino's horn one last pat before rushing out of the stables to catch up with his brother who had already started walking back to Ursa's home.

"So impatient, Akai," Mal playfully nudged his shoulder as he caught up, "Couldn't wait an extra minute?"

"Nope. I want to get back as soon as possible for that extra hour of sleep," Akai impatiently said. He walked at a slightly faster pace.

"At least Tarrak is nice enough to even give us an extra hour of sleep, especially since we're going to be searching the larger part of the forest," Mal quickened his pace to keep up with Akai.

Akai scoffed, "He's only being nice because we're in the presence of the Fire Lord. You know how tough Tarrak can be."

"That or he's genuinely looking after us. You forget how nice he can be also," Mal pointed out and smiled. Mal's smile fell as Akai huffed and a look of frustration washed over his face.

"I just wish that Zuko would send for more men. We can't cover the whole forest with only nine people. We need help, especially since we have no leads and this rain has probably washed away any footprints or tracks," Akai looked exasperated and tense.

"Akai, it's our job. Maybe we are a bit short on men at the moment, but let's do our job to the best of our abilities," Mal said in a soft voice. He paused for a second before adding, "Plus, we're getting paid extra for serving the Fire Lord."

Akai thought this over, "I guess that's one of the upsides."

Mal smiled once more and they continued to walk along the muddy path.

So far, their day seemed to be going fairly normal then suddenly a screech and the flapping of wings caught their attention. Looking skywards, the outline of a messenger hawk descended upon them, but what really caught their attention was the black ribbon hanging off the back of the hawk.

"It's an important message!," Akai gasped as he noticed the black strings.

Mal held out his arm and the hawk landed, digging it's talons into his arm. Mal winced slightly, but the excitement of getting such an important message numbed the pain. He opened the canister and removed the message from its back. The hawk flew off to perch in a nearby tree.

Akai peer curiously over his brother's shoulder as he removed the black string tying the message. Slowly, almost cautiously, Mal opened the message and their eyes quickly scanned the paper, taking in all the information. Both of their eyes widened as they read through the letter.

"WE HAVE TO TELL THE FIRE LORD!," Mal yelled in shock.

Akai quickly nodded his head and whistled for the hawk to follow. The animal swooped down and followed the brothers from the air.

Without a second thought, they sprinted down the muddy path back to Ursa's home.

* * *

**Important authors note. There is a 50/50 chance that I may not upload next month. Every year I like to work on a costume for Halloween, plus my school is planning a hauted house this year and I'm probably going to be a part of costuming, so I'll most likey be very busy and burnt out.**

**Oopsies. Cliffhanger.**


	5. Chapter Four: Escape

**Ok, I'm excited to post this chapter. This one will be my longest so far and I hope you all have as much fun as I had writing it!**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Escape**

Ikem was awoken by the sound of loud, insistent knocking on the front door. Groggily he got up from the bed, careful not to wake his sleeping wife and child. He exited their bedroom and sluggishly shuffled to the front door.

"Who would be knocking this early in the morning?" he wondered aloud, slightly annoyed. As Ikem walked closer to the door, he winced as the loud knocking continued. He unlocked the front door and opened it.

"Yes, hello? What-"

"WE HAVE RECEIVED AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR FIRE LORD ZUKO!" Mal blurted out, cutting Ikem off and startling him. Akai slapped his brother's shoulder before bowing to Ikem.

"Sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning," Akai said more politely. He sent a pointed glare at Mal before continuing, "we have a message for Fire Lord Zuko; it's important that he reads it as soon as possible." Mal held the rolled up letter out for Ikem to see.

Ikem's eyes widened once he spotted the black ribbon. He moved out of the doorway gesturing for the soldiers to enter. "Right this way, right this way! I'll go wake him."

As Mal and Akai made their way into the house, Ikem beelined for Zuko's temporary room, which was just down the hallway that also led to he and his wife's room. Ikem knocked a few times, just to be polite before entering.

Zuko had been sleeping quite deeply when he was jolted awake by the knocking on his door. He groaned and pressed his face deeper into the soft wool pillow, ready to ignore the sound and head back to sleep. A few seconds later, he heard the door to the room open.

"Zuko? Are you awake?" Zuko could hear the urgency in Ikem's voice. "Some of your soldiers are here to see you; it's very important." Zuko shifted under the warm sheets of the bed, and looked up at his step-dad standing in the doorway.

One glance was all it took for Zuko to understand what was going on as an unspoken message was shared between them. Ikem's yellow eyes were filled with worry and urgency. Immediately Zuko shot up from the warm, comfortable bed, sleep completely forgotten.

"Tell them I'll be right out." Ikem nodded and closed the door as he left the room.

Zuko practically leapt from the bed and threw open the drawers on his dresser. Haphazardly he undressed from his night robes, threw on a shirt, a pair of pants, slipped on his socks and shoes, quickly combed his hair, and in less than 3 minutes was out the door and rushing into the living room.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Zuko apologized as soon as he entered the living room, "I heard that you have an important message for me." He stopped just before Mal and Akai.

"Y-yes, here. You must read it at once!" Mal stuttered as he held out the rolled-up message to Zuko.

Zuko's good eye widened when he spotted the black ribbon tied around the scroll. He took it from Mal's hands and untied the ribbon which held it closed. As he read through it, his breath caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat.

_**Dear Fire Lord Zuko,**_

_**We have apprehended Princess Azula at the small island of Mako. I am the Captain of a boat that belongs to the harbor town of Xin Tai. Her presence in the town was brought to our attention after a man she had attacked and robbed reported her to our department. Soon after, she stole a fisher's steam boat and fled to Mako Island. Azula was brought into our custody at approximately midnight. As I am writing this, we are heading back to Xin Tai to properly restrain her.**_

_**Xin Tai is located on the southern coast of the main Fire Island. The time delay of this letter is about five hours to Hira'a.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Captain Huyango of Xin Tai**_

"What is going on?" Ursa's confused soft voice caught the attention of everyone in the room. Zuko turned around to face her as he finished reading the letter. Their eyes met.

"Azula has been found." Zuko gave Ursa a beaming smile; Ikem, who had not yet read the letter, blinked at Zuko in surprise.

Ursa gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes, and she ran forwards and threw her arms around her son, holding him in a tight embrace. Zuko hugged her back, just as happy to know that Azula was safe.

"Oh, thank goodness!," Ursa cried into his shoulder, "Where is she now?"

She let go of him and backed up a step to look at him. Zuko could clearly see the worry, but also relief within her golden eyes. Ikem came over and wrapped his arms around Ursa in a comforting manner, kissing her head softly. Zuko held her hand tightly. He could feel her squeeze back.

"She's at a town called Xin Tai. There's no need to worry about searching for her anymore." Ursa lunged in for another hug, Ikem this time joining in.

Mal and Akai awkwardly stood off to the side watching the scene unfold. The two brothers shared an uncertain look. Akai coughed, trying to catch Zuko's attention.

Zuko looked up in remembrance. It'd be best to start getting packed up. They'll have to travel for quite a bit to go retrieve Azula. He let go of Ikem and Ursa and turned around to face the two soldier brothers. They immediately straightened their backs and awaited orders.

"Go wake up Tarrak and the others at your camp and tell them to start packing up. Oh, and tell him to leave the map out. We'll need it to know where we're going." Mal and Akai bowed to Zuko and left the house.

"If you're leaving right away, I can prepare you and your friends some snacks to take with you," Ikem offered. Zuko smiled at him, touched by his generosity.

"I would appreciate that. Thank you." Ikem nodded and walked away. Zuko faced his mother. "Do you want to wake up Kiyi? I'm sure she would want to see me before we go."

"No, no. It's fine. I'll let her sleep and then wake her up when you go," Ursa grasped her son's hands, and in a lower voice added, "She gets a bit cranky when woken up too early."

"I understand. Well, I've got to go wake up the others so we can get packed," Zuko gestured towards the front door.

He gave his mom one final hug and turned to leave the house, closing the door behind him. He walked briskly to the backyard and up a small path towards his friend's camp, which was a short 5 minute walk away from his mother's home.

Aang's bison was too large to stay in Ursa's backyard and any stables were too small to hold him, so they opted for a small clearing in the forest. When threatened with rain, they had to improvise and tie a bunch of spare tarps together to drape over them.

It was peacefully silent as Zuko walked up the muddy path. He watched as the droplets of water from last night's rain fell to the ground and listened to the squirrel toads croak in the cool, moist morning. He let the serenity of the forest calm his nerves. He could already feel how stressful the day would be. Zuko's grip on the letter in his hand tightened as he lapsed into thought.

They finally found her after nearly a week. He was relieved to know that his sister was safe and secure, but the news also brought dread and uncertainty. The last time he saw Azula, she wasn't exactly emotionally stable. In all honesty, Zuko was scared. How would she react to being brought back before their mother? Their last interaction was far from loving, and he was scared for Ursa's safety. At the same time though, he was concerned for Azula.

Another thing bothered him: she had attacked an innocent civilian. Now he would probably have to press charges against her.

Zuko shook his head and sighed. He could decide what to do with her while on the way to Xin Tai. He had time.

Zuko didn't have much time right now anyways. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew he was coming upon his friend's camp if Sokka's loud snoring was any indication. Once he entered the clearing, he jogged the rest of the way up to Appa.

Appa shifted his head as Zuko approached and let out a low groan in greeting and Momo flew onto the edge of the saddle, chittering at him.

Peering up at Appa's saddle Zuko cupped his mouth and shouted, "Hey, guys! Wake up and start packing up your things!"

All he got in response was a brief cease in snoring from Sokka, which started up again, and a few sleepy groans from Katara. Aang was the first one up, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he awoke.

"What's going on?," Aang sleepily asked as leaned over Appa's saddle to look down at Zuko. In the background, Katara sat up and yawned.

"Azula's been captured."

"AZULA'S BEEN WHAT!," Sokka shrieked, suddenly shooting up from his sleeping spot and startling everyone. He leaned over the edge of the saddle, eyes wide. Everyone was awake now, all looking at Zuko in shock.

Katara's expression was a mix of surprise and disbelief, "You mean someone actually captured her?" She crawled out of the saddle and dropped to the ground.

Aang airbent his way down, stopping just before Zuko. "Where is she now?"

"Well, according to this letter, she is at a town called Xin Tai that lies on the southern coast," Zuko handed the letter over to Aang. Katara peered over his shoulder to get a look at the letter as well.

"See!," Sokka pointed a finger in Zuko's direction, "What did I tell you? Reverse psychology."

Aang shook his head as he finished reading. "And to think we were going to search the northern part of the forest today." He handed the letter back to Zuko.

"Talk about good timing," Katara nodded, "We would have been searching in the completely wrong direction."

"I know. I still can't believe Sokka was actually right," Zuko looked at Sokka in confusion, "I still don't understand how you even came to that conclusion."

"Since you guys didn't bother to consider my suggestions, I say you all owe me an apology and a thank you," Sokka said smugly. He was beaming with pride.

"Sorry Sokka," everyone grumbled.

"And…?"

"Thank you."

"You're all forgiven," Sokka gave them an approving nod.

"Well, as I was saying," Zuko started, "I've already told Tarrak and his team to start packing up. We should do the same. It's a five hour trip so I want to get there as soon as possible."

"I'm already on it," Sokka said as he finished folding his own blanket and began folding the other's.

"We'll get the tarp cleared up and I'll get Appa something to eat before we go," Aang gestured to Appa. Katara went to the nearest tree and began untying one of the ropes that held the makeshift tarp up.

"I have to go talk to Tarrak and get my own things packed. I'll be back soon." Zuko waved to his friends and watched as Aang grabbed his glider and took off, most likely heading towards the stables where Tarrak's team were holding their animals.

Zuko turned to leave the camp area, gradually speeding up to a jog and heading in the direction of the other camp. He needed the map to know where they were supposed to be headed.

**…**

It was a quick trip to Tarrak's camp. He was impressed by how efficiently they were able to clean up the area. In the span of time since he told Mal and Akai to tell the others to pack up, they were nearly done when Zuko got there.

After locating the town on the map and instructing the soldiers to start heading there when they were done packing, he went back to his mother's house to quickly gather up his royal armor and a few pairs of clothing before heading back to Appa.

This time as Zuko walked up the path he was accompanied by his mother, Ikem, and Kiyi who had awoken not to long ago. Kiyi walked along side Ikem, sluggish and looking ready to fall asleep at any moment.

Ikem had a small bag on his side, and true to his words, had packed some nuts, blueberries, a couple apples, and some hippo cow jerky. Zuko already knew Sokka was going to go straight for that jerky.

Ursa on the other hand looked distant and lost in thought. Occasionally her expression would shift and become sad and her hands would wring together in worry. Zuko could only wonder what she was thinking and decided against questioning her.

They walked into the clearing and made their way up to Appa. Aang gave them a friendly wave as he sat atop Appa's head. With the help of Sokka, he lifted his clothes onto the saddle and got them packed away.

"Okay, is that everything packed?," Sokka asked Zuko.

"That's everything. You all ready to go?," Zuko asked his friends, just to make sure. Everyone nodded their heads collectively.

"Here, I packed you all some snacks to eat on the way there," Ikem removed the bag from his side and handed it to Katara.

She took the bag and smiled gratefully at Ikem, giving him a "thank you" in response and put it up on Appa. Katara soon climbed into Appa's saddle, ready for take off.

Kiyi looked up at Zuko, suddenly more awake. "You're leaving already! And you're not taking any of us with you?" She let go of Ikem's hand and ran up to Zuko, hugging him tightly.

Zuko bent down to place his hand on her shoulder. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we won't be gone long. We'll be back by the end of the day, I promise."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay," Kiyi nodded and let go of Zuko, returning to Ikem's side.

Zuko walked up to Ursa and gave her a large hug. She embraced him back and they stood in silence, each understanding the emotional tension and strain that came with the letter announcing Azula's capture. Zuko knew Azula's return would have an effect on all of them, especially Ursa.

When Zuko pulled back from the hug, he held his mother's hands. It took all of his self control to not jump in shock. Her hands were cold. Freezing cold. It was obvious Ursa was nervous, but it worried Zuko even further. Was she nervous for him or nervous about Azula?

His eyebrows furrowed. "Are you okay?," Zuko asked, concerned.

Ursa nodded sadly and looked up, locking eyes with Zuko. A gleam came to his mother's eyes; one of motherly determination. "Bring back Azula, please." He didn't need to be told twice.

"I will, mom. I promise you that I will bring her back." Zuko hugged her one last time and pulled back. He turned and climbed into Appa's saddle.

"You all ready to go?," Aang asked as he held the reins, ready to start flying.

"Yeah, we're all ready." Zuko responded. Sokka simply gave a thumbs up and Katara nodded at her boyfriend.

"Bye Zuko!," Kiyi shouted, "Come back soon."

"I hope you have a safe trip," Ikem waved at Zuko.

"I love you, Zuko," His mother smiled up at him, "Bring back Azula for me. For us."

"Don't worry, I will," Zuko responded, smiling warmly at all of them. "I'll see you all later on tonight. Goodbye."

Aang gave a "yip yip" and off they went. Appa quickly flew upwards and Zuko watched as the silhouettes of his family became smaller the farther they traveled.

He turned and sat down, sighing as he leaned against the saddle.

Honestly, he didn't think he was ready to see his sister again. He had been worried sick about her being on her own lost in the forest, but now that they had found her, he hadn't mentally prepared for the emotions that seeing her again would bring up.

Zuko looked up and watched as night began to turn into dawn, beams of sunlight streaming through the low hanging grey clouds. For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence. He sat there as the cool wind whipped through his hair, relaxing in the power the sun gave him as it continued to rise higher.

"Ugh," Sokka's voice broke the serenity of the morning. He must've been thinking too. "I am so not looking forward to trying to bring her back."

Everyone groaned and nodded in collective agreement.

"You can say that again," Katara huffed, "She'll be fighting the whole way back."

"She's already destroyed my glider while she was 'passive', what will she do while aggressive," Aang sounded as if he was already exhausted.

"We have time to figure out how we'll restrain her, but whatever we decide, we cannot let her loose again," Zuko added extra emphasis to 'again'.

"So," Sokka seemed a bit hesitant, "What are you going to do when we bring Azula back? To the Capital, I mean." Everyone turned their attention to Zuko, looking at him expectantly. After all, it was his idea to bring Azula with them, so that made him responsible for her.

"I…," Zuko hesitated as he thought it over. He had previously given some thought to that question, but he felt guilty for the answer he agreed upon. For the sake of all his friends and family, he decided upon the safest option available. He knew that Azula would hate him for this. "I'm going to put her back in the institution."

The clouds covered up the sun once more.

* * *

**Xin Tai, 4 hours earlier**

The screech of rusting metal door hinges roused Azula from her light slumber. Azula was ready to dismiss the sound, the gentle rocking of the boat lulling her back to sleep, but the loud thumping of footsteps awakened her senses. She could barely make out the sound of people's voices as she slowly awoke.

The voice of an unknown male echoed through the deathly quiet cell block. "Hope she didn't give you too much trouble. The captain says that you two can end your shifts for the night. He needs you two to get ready to unload supplies on the deck." He spoke in an authoritative tone that was obviously exaggerated. Azula would have almost found it comical if it weren't for the problem his words presented. She listened closely.

"Do ya really have to keep up that 'big man' act. Seriously, cut it," Azula recognized the accent of the male guard outside her cell. "At least this shift is finally over. It's so quiet in here I was just 'bout ready to fall asleep. How close are we to the shore?"

The unknown man sighed and spoke in a much more natural sounding voice. "We're going around waking everyone to prepare for docking and unloading, so I'd say pretty close."

Azula's plan an hour prior had been to steal the keys off one of the guards. If they were doing a guard swap so close to the shore, they were probably bringing in tougher guards to get her ready for transport off the ship. Her previous plan was instantly annihilated.

"What about the prisoner?," the other guard, the woman, inquired, "We can't leave her unattended."

"I'll be guarding and escorting her off the ship. My partner will be here shortly to accompany me," He sounded proud of himself.

"Wait. _You'll_ be guarding her?," the woman snickered slightly. Azula was with her on this one. Was he really going to be guarding her alone? "Well, then I'll leave you to it. Good luck with getting her off the ship," the woman said before the door squeaked once more. "See you later." Her footsteps began to fade as she walked away from the cell block.

Another pair of footsteps began to walk away before they promptly stopped. "Ya sure you'll be fine alone? I can stick around until your partner arrives," the male guard asked with concern.

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself. Also look, she's still asleep." Azula doubted that he would be fine. She could already see the opportunity presented with only one guard to watch over her. She can take the time to adapt her escape plan.

"Well, whatever ya say. If you need any assistance, don't be afraid to call for help," the young guard gave his farewell and his footsteps left the room. The cell block door squeaked and it was shut with a small metallic slam and a click. Silence over took the room once more.

"Tsk, call for help. Like I need your help," Azula could hear the man mutter.

Azula's eyes flickered open and closed. Oh how tempting it was to give into exhaustion; to just give up and go back to sleep… but work had to be done and she had to stay awake. Her freedom was on the line. There was no giving up and absolutely no failure.

Groggily, Azula blinked the cloudiness from her eyes and flexed her fingers. She was still facing the wall, having barely moved from her curled up position on the firm cell mattress. Her clothes were still slightly damp and uncomfortably warm against her skin.

Somewhere in the background she could hear the dragging of a wooden chair and a sigh from the new guard stationed outside her cell. Azula could assume that he was sitting down. This man seemed just as idiotic as the others. If just a little bit of luck was on her side, then maybe he'd be facing away from her. It was a bit of a far stretch, but a possible one.

Azula began to shift underneath the thin blanket that was draped over her body. She uncurled her legs and stretched, one of her legs buzzing with numbness. As subtle as she could, Azula turned herself over onto her back, the cloth rustling.

Unfortunately luck didn't seem to be on her side.

She turned her head and was greeted by the sight of the rather young looking man watching her cautiously from his lazy position on the chair. He had a higher than average male build for someone his age, but his features were soft and untainted. He wore the standard plain looking armor of a regular guard.

She could attack him right now; burn his entire body to a crisp. Azula had enough firepower to overpower the guard's own flames. He was alone and no one was around to hear him, but there was one problem: He sat on the other side of the cell block, away from the bars of her cell and she needed the keys if she wanted to escape.

"Oh. You are awake. Well at least I didn't need to be the one to wake you up," he chuckled slightly. Azula watched as the tension in his muscles seemed to ease and he slumped even further in his chair.

Oh well, there was no use in trying to be subtle anymore. Throwing the blanket off of her, Azula swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. With plan A already failed, her mind was already calculating a new way of escape. She kept her attention on the guard.

He continued to observe her with a criticizing glare and his lips curved upwards in a malicious smile. "You know I've always heard stories about how cruel and cunning you were. Guess all that karma finally caught up? I mean, just look at you," he taunted.

Azula could feel the rage grow with every word he spoke. He was the most idiotic guard she had ever heard, but it made him incredibly easy to assess. She could already read him like an open book.

'_Arrogant, careless, prejudiced, haughty…,'_Azula could go on and on. He was just like a few of the guards she saw at the Boiling Rock about a year and a half ago. She was actually amused at how annoyed he looked when she didn't react to his words. He proceeded to taunt her again.

"You know last I heard, you were in an asylum. How did it feel to downgrade from a large palace to a small cell?," he knew his question would get no answer, so he continued on without waiting for a response, "You never had any appreciation for how well you had it. I bet you still don't. I mean, it's the whole reason you're here now, isn't it?"

The rage only seemed to grow stronger and it took most of her will to restrain it while looking unaffected.

_'Get yourself together! Look for the keys. His opinions don't matter,' _her own thoughts involuntarily scolded.

Azula didn't have to look hard to find the keys. Seriously, did all guards have their keys waving about on the sides of their hips?

All that was needed now was to get him within striking distance, and dispatch him.

He must've taken her silence for submission because a cruel sparkle came to his eyes. He laughed darkly and sat up in his chair as he got ready to bully her further.

"I don't understand why Fire Lord Zuko even bothers with you anymore." Azula's head snapped up. Oh that caught her attention. It was time to strike. "He should have just-"

What came to her mind was entirely on instinct. Azula may finally get the upper hand and play his own desperation against him.

"About dear Zuzu, how do you think he will react when he finds out that you've been treating me this way?," Azula cut him off, talking to him in an insincerely innocent tone. There was an under layer of spite.

He seemed a bit surprised by her sudden interaction with him. "What?," He narrowed his eyes What do you mean..?"

"Zuzu's looking for me isn't he? And I'm assuming that he has ordered to capture me and keep me unharmed. That includes mentally. I could always tell him how you treated me while I was in your care."

He wasn't going to fall for her tricks just yet. He knew that she was a chronic liar. "As if he would believe anything from you."

"You are right. He probably wouldn't believe me, but he would believe the staff from the institution. They said that my mental state was fragile and one wrong word could set me off. What do you think will happen when the most powerful political figure in all of the Fire Nation finds out that you've sent his mentally ill sister into another breakdown. You really think you'll be without punishment?,"Azula locked eyes with the guard, relishing the look of fear that crossed his face as her threat dawned on him. It was Azula's turn to smile.

The fear of having to endure the wrath of the Fire Lord was still ingrained into the minds of everyday citizens. Azula could thank father for that.

Azula grabbed the blanket and stood up. "If you're willing to do one simple favor, maybe I'll reconsider telling Zuzu about you," She slowly began making her way up to the cell bars, clasping her hands behind her back.

The guard watched her cautiously as he considered her words. She could practically see the inner conflict as he decided whether or not he should take up her offer. Azula could see the anger bubbling to the surface as he struggled to find his words. He swiftly stood up from his chair about to lash out, but before he could utter a single word she cut him off again.

"When your supervisors find out about how you humiliated them in front of the Fire Lord, how will they see you? How will your companions see you? What would you rather? Do one simple favor or lose your position and go back to being a worthless nobody that everybody hates." His face instantly fell as his strong facade broke, making him look more vulnerable than ever. She had hit the nail right on the head and procured herself a victory.

He tried to patch back together what composure he had, but her piercing glare ultimately made him give in. "Wh-what do you want?," he stuttered nervously.

Azula could have laughed at how easily she was able to move the conversation in her favor.

"You said something about me not being appreciative, did you not?" It was time to lower the stakes. Azula moved her right arm from behind her and held the red blanket up to the bars. "That woman who was guarding me gave me this. Give this back to her and tell her that I said thank you."

The guard was taken aback. He expected the favor to be much more dangerous or laborious, not to be something as simple as returning a blanket. "That's it...? You just wanted to prove me wrong?"

Azula didn't make any attempt to answer his question. She just continued to hold out the blanket, waiting expectantly for him to take the bait. Behind her back, Azula began to gradually and carefully charge up her electricity.

The man leaned towards the bars, reaching out to grab the item. He awkwardly stuttered, "Just d-don't tell the Fire Lord." His hand passed through the bars and grasped the blanket.

As quick as lightning itself, Azula struck. The guard was barely able to react as she snatched his wrist, the blue electricity sparking as it was transferred to another body. She watched as his face immediately contorted in agony. His body seized and a scream caught in his throat as he fell to the floor. Azula let go of his wrist.

The electricity continued to crackle and spark as he writhed on the floor before finally exiting his body with one final snap and flash. He was motionless, aside from the barely noticeable rise and fall of his chest.

All the while Azula watched with triumphant glee. Oh how satisfying it was to watch your enemies writhe in pain. All her hours spent in that straight jacket allowed herself to train to charge up lightning with minimal movement.

Azula kneeled down and reached for the man's body through the bars. Once she had a good hold, she drug him closer and seized the ring of metal keys from his side. She went up to the cell door and snaked her arms around the front, fumbling with the keys before opening the door with a satisfying click.

Who knew that using her 'mental instability' as a bargaining chip could work so well. That didn't mean she liked the intruding voices, but at least they were useful this one time.

The door swung open and she stepped out. Though she was free from the cell, Azula knew it was just an illusion. She was still stuck within a cell within a cell. That was just the first hurdle. Her next objective was to get off the boat without being recaptured.

Azula stepped over the unconscious guard and looked around the room. They threw her bag off to the side somewhere, she remembered. Hopefully they didn't take it away. She didn't go into the town to buy supplies for nothing.

She didn't have to look for long to find her bag near the cell block door. Azula quickly checked over the contents and slung the bag over her shoulder.

She was reaching for the handle of the metal door when she heard heavy footsteps approaching from the other side. Azula stepped back a few paces and got into a firebending stance. It must be the guard's partner finally arriving.

Azula took a deep breath and held it. The cell block door clicked as the handle was turned and it screeched as it opened.

"Hey Touji. Sorry for taking so long," A man said as they opened the door from the hallway.

As soon as the silhouette of the man came into view, Azula exhaled and punched the air, sending a blast of fire that engulfed the doorway. The force of the impact sent him flying backwards into a closed door. He slid to the floor.

The still conscious man looked back up only to see a foot flying at his face. Azula kicked his head back into the metal door, knocking him out cold.

There were a few gasps to her left. Azula turned her head.

Standing further down the gloomy hallway were four completely dumbfounded guards carrying a variety of items ranging from weapons to boxes of clothing.

A few seconds of uncertain silence passed then all hell broke loose when Azula charged down the narrow hallway. They all dropped what they were holding, the boxes crashing and the weapons clattering as they scrambled to back away from the escaped prisoner. One of them even tripped backwards over a fallen box.

Before the first man knew it, Azula was only a few feet away. Using her momentum, she leapt and kicked him square in the chest; an attack that threw him backwards and into the guard who was getting up behind him. They were both sent tumbling across the floor, crashing into some boxes.

In the background the two remaining men shifted into an aggressive stance. One, an apparent non-bender, now brandished a spear that he had picked up from the pile of discarded weapons.

Azula landed and sidestepped to the right as the head of a spear was clumsily thrust in her direction. She had seen the man rush up to her before she had even landed. She lunged and used both hands to grab the staff of the spear. In one quick motion she yanked one end of the spear free from his hand, struck the side of his neck, and twisted her body so that he was thrown to the ground.

As soon as the third man was down, she swiftly turned around to block an incoming fireball. Azula watched as terror washed over the final man's features as her gaze locked with his. He punched fireball after fireball at her, each one Azula was easily able to disperse.

Timing it perfectly between blocking, she performed a one leg front flip kick, sending a fire slash down the hallway. The attack sliced through any oncoming fireballs. The man gasped in shock, and brought his arms up to protect himself. The slice breached all of his defenses, searing his flesh and blasting him backwards. He skidded to a halt further down the hallway and moaned in pain, making no attempt to get up.

The total amount of time it took to take out four guards was roughly 15 seconds.

The non-bender she threw to the ground groaned as he got to one knee. Azula swiftly kicked the back of his head, ensuring that he wouldn't get up for a while.

Scratch that. 16 seconds. Now, it was time to leave before any more of them decided to get back up.

Azula ran down the hallway, leaping over the guard's still smoking body as he lay on the ground. Just down the hallway was the doorway that led to the stairwell up to the deck. She stopped just before the doorway and pressed herself against the wall. She listened closely, peering carefully around the corner when she was sure there was no one in the stairwell.

The coast was clear. Azula slipped from behind the corner and snuck up to the staircase, carefully walking up the stairs. The door at the top of the staircase was open, revealing the dim sky of the early moon-lit morning. She guessed that those guards back there probably left it open so they could make continuous trips without stopping.

Azula stood just inside the open door, peering out of the dim stairwell. Outside there were seven people near the bow of the ship, mostly lower ranking guards lugging around boxes and a few holding out a flame for light.

Azula stealthily snuck out from within the ship and trailed along the shadowed right wall of the accommodation deck. Once she reached the end, she quickly turned out of sight and slipped beneath a staircase. That should give her some cover for now.

Her eyes scanned the dark waters. Weren't they supposed to be docking? Taking a small risk, she peered back out onto the open deck. Lights in the distance caught her eyes. Across the water she could see the lights of multiple lanterns and torches that illuminated the dock and the town behind it. They were close, but not close enough for a quick escape.

She cursed herself. She should have made sure that all the guards were unconscious before going up on deck. Now she risked getting caught again if those guards got up, or if someone found those guards before the boat reached shore. In some way, shape, or form, alarm would be raised about her escape.

Azula slipped back into the shadows, keeping the guards just in sight. She would wait and let time drag out for as long as it could. No need to cause a ruckus when no one else was aware of her presence.

Time boringly dragged on as Azula observed the guards perform their monotonous tasks. They organized the boxes based on weight and what type of items they contained while a few others checked over them to ensure that they were properly organized. The guards standing around providing light seemed even more bored. Their slumped over postures displayed their tiredness and one seemed to doze off before catching herself from falling over.

The longer she waited, the colder she became as the wind blew against her still damp clothing. In the distance, the lights of the town slowly became closer and brighter. She just needed to hold out for a little longer.

It wasn't long before one of them noticed the absence of some boxes, and consequently the four missing guards. Azula had expected this. She watched as few of them turned to each other and tilted their heads, most likely asking one another where the others were. They became noticeably on edge and wary.

For a few seconds, no one seemed to know what to do until they picked someone out of their group of people to go check downstairs. They tried to protest, but reculantly they agreed to check up on the missing guards.

Azula pulled back into the shadows as the man walked towards the open door. Her heart began to beat faster as she prepared for an upcoming fight. She knew she was soon going to be discovered, it was only a matter of time now. The man passed through the open metal door and walked below deck.

There was silence. Dreadful, tense silence with nothing but the waves and wind to break it. Azula steadied her breathing. Two minutes had passed before the telltale sound of boots hitting metal rung from below deck. The man burst out into the open and those dreaded words slipped from his lips.

"THE PRINCESS HAS ESCAPED!"

Instantly the boat went into a panic. "Someone go warn the captain!," Azula heard someone yell out. She recognized the young man that had previously guarded her cell as he dashed towards her hiding spot, presumably towards the staircase she was hidden underneath.

Azula ambushed the young man, hitting him in the chest with a precise blast of blue fire that flung him back the way he came. This elicited a few surprised gasps and yells from the other guards. In retaliation, they began firing at her hiding spot.

She rolled to the side and out into the open as she dodged a particularly large fireball. As soon as she was upright, she began blasting her own fireballs. The woman who had also previously guarded her was unlucky enough to be closest to Azula, and immediately went down with the first blasts. It was repetitive for the first few moments of fighting. Blast, deflect, blast deflect.

Two non-benders frantically rummaged through the boxes, pulling out the ropes with the weights on the ends. They swung the devices above their heads and launched it at Azula.

She leapt back and avoided the attack, the metal weights banging on the deck of the ship. It may have worked to capture her the first time, but she was in water then.

Azula dropped to the floor and swept her leg, performing a fire sweep. The fire washed its way over the deck of the ship, illuminating the area in an eerie blue glow. Those who weren't able to jump over or deflect the blast screamed and fell to the floor as their ankles and lower calves were seared.

All that remained were three firebenders. By now the rest of the crew had obviously noticed the fight and an extra four men came dashing down from the accommodation deck.

Suddenly the boat lurched and the lights in the distance caught her keen eye. For the past 12 minutes the boat had been steadily moving closer to the docks, and a group of people could clearly be seen waiting for the boat, but now the lights were beginning to move to the right as the boat began banking to the left. Realization hit her.

The boat was turning around.

Azula aggressively began firing at the guards who were now closing in on either side of her, deflecting and curving attacks around her. Forcing her way through the fire, Azula pushed her way to the right side of the deck letting the guards corner her against the rails.

Though this made defending easier, deflecting attacks from mainly one side, this let their offense become stronger. Every few deflects and blast, a fireball would slip by, forcing Azula to leap further backwards towards the metal railing of the ship.

Soon, the ship was perpendicular to the docks, probably the closest it will ever be before heading back out to sea. In one final spectacular attack, Azula stomped and brought up both of her hands, pulling up a shield of blue flames and forcefully pushing forwards.

The resulting wall of fire flew forwards, overpowering their flames. They had to jump to the sides, a few not-so-lucky ones screaming as they were sent sliding across the deck.

Before any of them could stop her, Azula turned and ran towards the railing of the ship. Her eyes were focused on the dock, which was a good 50 feet away. Azula leapt onto the railing and pushed off with all her might, launching herself off the deck and into the air.

Azula took a deep breath as positioned her fists behind her. The blue flames blasted to life and her falling ceased. In an instant, Azula was rocketing her way across the water. She could hear the guards on the boat yelling at her and blasting fire, but their attacks dissipated before they could reach her.

The people waiting on the docks went into a terrored frenzy, running frantically about the dock as Azula barrelled towards them.

"WATCH OUT!"

"EVERYONE DUCK!"

Everyone dropped to the floor to avoid the deadly blue flames as Azula flew overhead. She went straight over the crowd of people.

Azula cut off her flames as she came in for a landing, falling to the dock and landing in a roll. The amount of stamina it took to cross the distance over the water left her somewhat breathless. Coupled with the lack of sleep, Azula already made up her mind that she wouldn't fight anymore. Instead when she got to her feet, she immediately booked it up a nearby staircase.

One thing she noticed was the distinct lack of people and boats. She was right about the messages and delay time. Their boat was the first to arrive, and as a result there was no backup to stop her now. Azula cackled and smiled in triumph.

"After her! Hurry, don't let her escape!," Someone yelled into the crowd of baffled guards who were still in shock.

Azula beelined for the town, quickly slipping into the shadows of the dense housing. There was no way they were catching her now. Azula jumped out into the open streets of the town and continued running deeper into the center. Soon, the yells coming from behind her became distant echoes.

When she was sure there was no one following, she stopped in an alleyway to get a few moments of rest and to collect her thoughts. She leaned against the wooden wall of a small building. Azula shook her head in an attempt to clear the fuzziness of drowsiness. She needed to think of a plan to get out of the town.

"_What might be the safest way…?,"_ She tapped her chin in thought. The front gates were obviously the worst option of escape, though easiest. There were probably guards there already waiting to catch her. Maybe the wall? The wall of the town was only a short stone wall to discourage people from trying to steal from the marketplace.

Yes, the wall. It wouldn't be as guarded as when she first tried to escape and would probably be the most inconspicuous way of exiting Xin Tai. Azula pushed herself off the wooden wall and left the alleyway, traveling towards the right side of the town.

Silently she dashed through the gloomy streets, traveling through the shadows and quietly running across open areas. There were barely any people around, mostly homeless men and eccentric people who wandered the streets.

The closer she got to the city wall, the fewer signs of guards she found. She doubted there was even any guards on this side of the town.

Freedom was close, and as Azula slowed to a stop, she found herself at the last hurdle. The wall. It was a sturdy stone wall, about 10 feet in height, but it did nothing to stop the agile bending prodigy from getting over it. Climbing up a small building, she leapt from the ledge and onto the wall, silently dropping down to the grass on the other side.

Azula smiled. She was free once more.

She had memorized the routes in the area earlier that day so she could take the most direct route to her next destination, which was supposed to be further east. She needed to change her route. Guess she was heading to The Gates of Azulon far earlier than planned.

Spotting the dark outline of the nearby forest, Azula began jogging towards it. She needed to leave as soon as possible. The place would be swarming with people soon.

Using the full moon's light as guidance, she ran through the grassy field before locating a small footpath and disappearing into the dark trees.

* * *

**Finally get to see Azula in action. I believe that she still retains her personality and character traits such as being manipulative. ****As shown in the comics, Azula can now produce lighting much faster than before with much more minimal movement. I liked the idea that she's been training herself in secret. ****Also I love writing fighting scenes. They're so energetic and exciting. **

**Sure, Zuko wants to help her, but she's obviously a threat to everyone. He can't exactly have her walking free around the palace, especially when she's nearly killed their mother. I quite like using symbolism.**


	6. Chapter Five: Sudden Changes

**Go on. Read the chap****ter title and make a guess.**

**Also, I have completely caught up to all my pre-written chapters. Just warning you now that it might be a while before the next chapter comes out. Speaking of the next chapter, I'm trying to overcome some tricky time skips, so that definitely adds to delay time.**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Sudden Changes**

Azula had to force herself awake for the seventh time in the last 20 minutes. She shook her head and let out a yawn before she continued walking along the overgrown footpath. Azula wasn't sure for how many hours she'd been walking, but as evening approached and turned the sky from a baby blue to a rosy pink, she guessed that she had been walking for the whole day.

One thing she had to appreciate was the scenery. It was nice, and for a brief moment in time, mother wasn't there to pester her. She could simply enjoy watching the birds sing and the smell of fresh air. At least this time she had a path to follow.

Back in Forgetful Valley, she had to make her own path through the brush. There were countless obstacles and even more thorn bushes than she could count. This forest was a lot tamer and welcoming with open groves and beautiful streams that flowed down from the nearby mountains. It had a sort of calming effect on her, which was probably the reason she kept nodding off.

The only thing that made the trip unenjoyable was her lack of sleep. A one hour power nap was barely enough sleep to keep her awake. Speaking of sleep, Azula let out another yawn.

'_Maybe it would be best that I start searching for a camping area,' _Azula thought.

As she walked, she considered the possible spots ideal for setting up camp. It was another half an hour before she found a spot she was satisfied with. It was a secluded area a little way off the trail with a freshwater stream that flowed off to the side.

Azula began her routine of picking out a 'nice' spot at the base of a tree and clearing it of any twigs or rocks. At least this time she had her roll out mat to lay on instead of the dirt.

The unpacking process was relatively short. After all, all she had was contained in the bag she carried on her back.

Once Azula placed down the mat and unfolded the blanket, she did a quick once over to check if anything was STILL wet. It had taken hours for everything to finally dry off, and the bag continued to remain wet well into the afternoon. Thankfully it seemed to have finally dried out.

Azula sighed as she sat down, finally able to rest. She proceeded to get comfortable and unwind, removing her shoes and untying the ribbon that held her hair in a top knot. She reached down to massage her feet, which ached terribly from hours upon hours of constant walking.

She wasn't ready to head to sleep right away. There was still about a little bit of daylight left and all the grime and left over dried sea salt irritated her to no end. She hefted herself to her feet. Azula conducted a quick search of the area, just incase, before making her way down to the stream.

Gingerly, she removed the outer layers of her clothing, self-consciously keeping her undergarments on. Though she was completely alone, it was uncomfortable to undress in a setting other than an enclosed room.

Azula slowly stepped into the stream, tensing up at the freezing water. Cupping her hands, she warmed the water in her palms before pouring it over her arms and scrubbing at the dirt and oil stuck to her skin. Azula grumbled in irritation. It may not have lived up to the baths she used to take at the palace, but personal hygiene was always important. She bent down to scoop up more water and begin the process again.

**...**

After a quick wash up, Azula redressed and set up a small fire. She sat beside the fire, idly combing her wet hair with her fingers as the shadows of night slowly engulfed the forest. The more she combed, the finer her hair became until she was satisfied with the smoothness she had achieved.

With a yawn, Azula layed down on the sleeping mat and pulled the thin blanket over herself. Though the sleeping mat definitely beat sleeping in the dirt, she was still bitter. She could still be at the palace in her warm bed where the mattress hugged her body just right underneath her smooth, silky blankets and sheets. There was no way to describe the amount of resentment she felt towards Zuko.

The longer she dwelled over what she had lost, the more distressed she became. Azula clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, tossing herself onto her side as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.

Just like the shadows that plunged the forest into darkness, Azula's demons slowly engulfed her mind.

* * *

**Earlier…**

From the air, Xin Tai looked impressive and organized with its extensive port and large marketplace for trading. Adding to the already spectacular sight was the small island off the coast and the much larger land mass behind it that made up the most southern Fire Island.

When they got to the ground however, Zuko could sense that something was wrong. His friends must have felt it too because they also noticed how backed up the crowds of people were at the front gate. There were about eight guards screening people before letting them pass out of the town.

As the group of friends walked up to the town, a guard who was monitoring the people noticed them. The guard swiftly approached them and bowed in greeting.

"Greetings Fire Lord, Avatar, and your companions. Welcome to Xin Tai. Chief Kali told me you were coming."

"Yeah, uh, thank you," Zuko gave a quick bow back, still a bit distracted by the scene at the front gate. The Avatar gave a bow of his own and Katara and Sokka gave the man friendly handshakes.

"It's my pleasure. Now, come along. He is expecting you." The man motioned for them to follow and started walking towards the entrance of the town.

The closer they were brought to the gate, the longer the line seemed to get. They finally got to an angle to where they could see the end of the line. It appeared to span for blocks into the town.

"What's going on?" Aang worriedly asked as they entered the front gates and passed along side the line of people.

The guard gave them a quick response, "Chief Kali will explain in further detail when you get there."

Zuko watched the guard with suspicion and Aang turned to give him a worried look. Sokka and Katara muttered to each other, also suspicious at the guard's dodgy behavior. They continued to uneasily follow him.

The people had little interest in the important group of teenagers that had entered the town. Most seemed bored while some looked on the verge of exploding with anger.

Zuko's frown only deepened and a pit formed at the bottom of his stomach. Something was not right. They weren't telling them something.

As their chaperone brought them further into the town, the line of people diffused and gave way to an open area with beautifully decorated shops and buildings. The streets were bustling with civilians going about their day and children playing around. Their uneasiness faded and gave way to wonder as they took in the sight of the town.

Zuko took a deep breath to calm himself. '_Maybe their security measures are just like that. It has a large marketplace, after all. No need to get myself worked up.' _He pushed his worries to the back of his mind. No need to be overly paranoid.

They walked for a few minutes down the same road, passing by various seafood restaurants and tea shops. The smell of jasmine tea reminded Zuko of Iroh's own tea. Maybe he'll get a cup later.

As they walked, the streets around them continued to get even more decorated and colorful until, almost suddenly, they walked out into a very large area filled with market stalls and restaurants. At the very center was a large circular flower bed filled with flowers of various colors. What stood out the most was the art. Everywhere Zuko looked, there was art whether it be carvings or murals or decorations. The place was thriving with culture.

"Woah!" Aang gasped in awe, "It's so colorful."

"Welcome to the plaza that connects most of the town. If you want to get to a place, just come to the plaza, look for the signs, and choose a direction," the guard indicated to the streets that exited the plaza.

"Is that Water Tribe art? What does the moon and the ocean have to do with all this?" Katara questioned as they passed a vendor selling carvings of what seemed to be Tui and La.

"I've noticed that the moment we walked into the town. It's kinda strange. Water Tribe art in the Fire Nation?" Sokka said, perplexed.

Now that it was brought to Zuko's attention, he noticed the unmistakable smooth rolling style of the Water Tribes mixed with the sharp and rigid style of the Fire Nation. If he looked a little harder, past the art of fish and other marine life, he could spot paintings of the moon and carvings of Tui and La, plus quite a bit of blue coloring.

"I know it may seem strange as a town in the Fire Nation, but the moon and ocean are especially sacred to the people of Xin Tai. Most of our connection to the ocean comes from a very particular story. The fishermen say that centuries ago, three waterbenders sacrificed themselves to stop a catastrophic event that would have destroyed half the Fire Nation," The guard explained as he led them around the flower bed at the center.

"What kind of catastrophic event?" Zuko curiously asked.

"An asteroid," the guard responded. "They blasted the asteroid with a large stream of glowing water. Rumors say that they weren't human and were actually mermaids that came from the waters that surround Mako Island."

The group exited the plaza and went down one of the five streets that branched from the center.

"The fishermen also say that something magical happens on Mako Island every full moon, though I'm not too certain what they mean by that," the guard added.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I know this may sound a bit weird, but can someone explain to me what a mermaid is…?"

"It's okay, sweetie. It isn't weird." Katara gave him an understanding smile. "Mermaids are mythical half human half fish creatures. They have the tail of a fish and the upper body of a human."

"The Southern Water Tribe mermaids don't sound as friendly as the ones here, though. Mermaids have been said to attack hunters and drag them into the freezing waters." Sokka's eyes widened and he made a pulling motion with his hands.

"According to Fire Nation legends, mermaids can be either signs of good fortune or bad luck," Zuko added. "They could either guide you to treasure or get you completely lost in the open ocean."

Aang's eyes lit up with childish wonder. "They sound really cool!" He paused, "Except for the whole 'dragging hunters underwater' thing."

"You never know," the guard shrugged, "Stick around the ocean for long enough and you might get lucky and spot one. If you want more information, you should talk to Goji down by the docks. He's been trying to hunt down mermaids for years. Most people are quick to say he is crazy, but he has quite a bit of evidence to back up his claims."

"But why would anyone want to hunt down a mermaid?" Aang innocently asked.

"Obviously for scientific discovery and fame," Sokka was quick to answer. "Can you imagine if someone actually caught a mermaid? They'd instantly be rich!"

"Well I say that they're sacred creatures and we should leave them as is," Katara frowned at Sokka.

Zuko nodded his head. "I agree with Katara. If mermaids were to be captured, who knows how the world will react. They could end up hunted down like the dragons."

"To each their own," The guard indifferently shrugged.

As the conversation died down, they continued to follow the guard down the cobblestone street. Katara and Aang talked among themselves while Sokka observed the town's art with interest. Zuko on the other hand was thinking over his newfound knowledge of the town and its nearby island.

From the asteroid to the mermaids, the town had a fascinating culture. What a coincidence for Azula to have been captured on Mako Island while on a full moon. If mermaids were truly real, then they must have given him a helping hand in finding Azula, because there was no way he would have guessed that she would have come to a coastal town like Xin Tai.

For the next few minutes, the guard continued to lead them down the street. Every street seemed to have it's own personality with shops to fit accordingly to the theme. As they moved away from the marketplace, office and residential buildings took the place of restaurants and market stalls.

"Here we are." The guard made a sharp turn towards a building. "The station."

They entered the building and that heavy feeling of dread reentered their bodies. The station was void of any guards except for the receptionist, who greeted them by giving them an uninterested grunt.

They continued to follow the guard as he brought them through a pair of double doors and into a grungy looking hallway. It was silent as he guided the group through the halls. They rounded a corner and the group came to a halt before a lone door. The label on the door read "Chief Kali".

"Chief Kali is in there. Just head on in." Zuko thought he heard a hint of nervousness in the guard's voice. "Well, I have to get back to my position at the front gates. It was a pleasure to serve you Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang." Almost urgently, the guard turned and walked down the hallway, leaving the group in silence. His odd behavior and urgency to get out of the building did not help Zuko's growing anxiousness.

Sokka was the first to break the silence, speaking in a hushed voice and jutting his thumb in the guard's direction. "Is it me or was that guy kind of suspicious?"

"It was like he was hiding something," Aang narrowed his eyes, watching as the guard rounded the corner out of sight.

"I don't have a good feeling," Katara frowned with worry.

"Then we should just pick up Azula as soon as we can and get out," Zuko said. They all nodded their heads in collective agreement. Zuko turned and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice called from behind the door.

Zuko turned the doorknob and entered the room, his companions following suit. The room was welcoming. It was not too grand and not too small, looking more like a small study room with bookshelves on every side of the room.

A desk was positioned on one side of the room and behind it sat who he assumed was Chief Kali. He looked to be around his late 40's. He donned a top knot and short moustache grew across his slim face. His armor was laced with traces of gold and were plated with thin sheets of metal, which was more than what the standard guard would wear.

"Sorry Fire Lord, but they'll have to stay out in the hallway," Chief Kali said in his gruff voice. They all gave Kali a weird look.

"It's okay. We can wait outside, right?" Aang turned to Sokka and Katara. "Come on." They followed the Avatar as he left the room, closing the door behind them. Zuko and Kali were now the only ones left in the room.

Zuko made his way up to the desk, seating himself on a chair that was positioned across from Kali.

"Greetings, Fire Lord Zuko," Kali's unapproachable demeanor faded as he nodded in greeting. "It is a pleasure to have you visit our town. I'm Chief Kali, head of the Xin Tai police force."

"Nice to meet you, Chief Kali. I just wish that this meeting could have been under better circumstances," Zuko responded.

"I do wish that as well," Kali sighed.

"So where is she now?" Zuko went straight to the point, "Is Azula in one of your holding cells? I have a team of soldiers coming soon to help prepare her for transport back to Hira'a. I would like to talk to her before we go."

"About that…," Kali hesitated. Suddenly the dread that Zuko had been trying to ignore since he got here got 10 times worse.

_'Please don't tell me what I think has happened,'_ Zuko waited anxiously for an answer.

"Azula escaped in the early hours of the morning, about an hour after Captain Huyango captured her." Zuko's stomach sank. Those were definitely not the words he wanted to hear. "She's been gone for about several hours now-"

"SEVERAL HOURS!?" what was once dread was now replaced by outrage. Chief Kali visibly sank in his chair as Zuko leaned forwards. "You mean to tell me that she has been gone for several hours and you didn't bother to inform me of this?!"

"We sent a hawk as soon as the incident happened! It must not have had enough time to reach you!" Kali explained desperately.

Zuko supposed he couldn't fault them for that. After all, no one can control the speed of a hawk. He leaned back in his chair and took a few calming breaths. The few seconds of silence was so tense, it was almost palpable.

"How did she escape?" Zuko finally spoke. He looked up and locked eyes with Kali. He could see the fear in the chief's eyes.

"We're still not sure…," Kali broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his head. "The men who were tasked with guarding her are seriously injured, so we're still awaiting answers. One has been electrocuted and the other has a concussion and a cracked skull."

Zuko's fear increased. It was another reason why he wanted to catch Azula, and quickly. She has already proven that she is a serious threat to others. He's afraid of what she can and will do to the citizens of the Fire Nation, especially with her erratic behaviour and unpredictable anger.

"How about the rest of the crew?" Zuko asked, concerned.

"Most of them are being treated for second and third degree burns," Kali responded. "A few of them witnessed Azula escape the boat. The boat was close to docking and she jetted her way across the water and escaped the town. At the time most of our boats were still out at sea, and consequently, most of our men. We could not stop her in time…," Kali dipped his head in shame.

"Please, Fire Lord. Forgive me," The chief's voice was shaky with fear.

Zuko looked at him in surprise. "I am not my father. I will not punish you for something you could not control. You all did your best and I appreciate the work you put into trying to capture my sister. You are forgiven, but next time station more than two people to guard her."

_'If there even is a next time,' _Zuko added in his mind.

Kali lifted his head. "Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko. Thank you."

"Now," Zuko began, "Have your men started searching the area?"

"Yes," the chief sounded much more uplifted, "We have patrols searching the town and surrounding forest. I've organized for extra security measures just incase she may still be inside the town, but so far we have not found any trace of Azula."

Great. Guess he'll have to wait for Tarrak to arrive. Maybe the trackers could find something the guards here may have missed.

"Continue searching," Zuko sighed, disappointed with the outcome of this conversation. He sat up from his chair and turned away from Kali. "Thank you for your help."

His companions stared at Zuko as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. They were all frowning.

"So… how much did you hear?" Zuko asked.

"Enough to know Azula has escaped again and is now a larger threat than before," Katara sighed in reply.

"I guess our quick pickup is going to be extended then?" Sokka asked.

"But what about your mother? Kiyi and Ikem, too?" Aang worriedly asked.

"I know! I know! And I feel terrible for letting them down." That's what tore up Zuko the most. He had promised to bring Azula back. He gave them all so much hope. Now it was going to be destroyed.

"Then let's not disappoint your family and get Azula back for them," Sokka placed a hand of Zuko's shoulder, determination evident in his eyes.

"Who's ready for an adventure?" Sokka asked no one in particular.

Katara and Aang shared a look. They were obviously feeling the rush of exhilaration.

"Great!" Sokka didn't need an answer, "Then let's all get prepared." Sokka turned to walk down the hallway. Zuko and the others followed suit.

"I'll head into the market and buy us some food to take with us," Katara said.

"And I'll come with you," Aang stated happily. He blushed a little bit. "We need to be better prepared for our travels," Aang sheepishly explained. Katara gave him a smile and a small peck on the cheek as they walked out of the police station.

Sokka made a disgusted face. "But more adventures means that I have to spend more time around that." Katara gave her brother a pointed glare and sent a snowball in his direction. Zuko smiled in amusement.

"Hey, guys, I'll be heading to the post office," Zuko cut in. "I have to inform a few people about what's happened."

"Oh, sure thing," Aang nodded. "I'll tell them once they decide to stop." Aang pointed at Katara and Sokka who were squabbling with each other. Zuko gave them a departing wave and went off on his own.

Being on his own out of sight of his friends left him time to think over his emotions and future decisions.

The severity of the injuries caused by his sister deeply worried him. Now she has proven that she will attack innocent civilians, making her an even larger threat to the people of the Fire Nation. It was now urgent that he capture his sister as soon as possible.

A part of him still cared for his sister. It was a confusing whirlwind of focusing on capturing Azula and still wanting to make sure that she was okay. He couldn't decide on one. Capturing his sister would probably make her hate him even more, but he wants to bring her back so he could get her the help she needs.

Zuko sighed. He was already stressing over something that hasn't even happened yet.

'_One step at a time. Just need to keep a level head and focus.'_

First step was to send his mother a letter informing her of their situation. He knew that she would be crushed, but it was better than leaving her in the dark and making her even more worried when he didn't come back by the end of the day.

Zuko continued making his way down the road, scanning the streets for a post office.

**...**

They sat around a table in the lobby of a motel they had chosen for the night. The friendly clerk offered them some tea, of which they gratefully took. Now they sat, quietly talking among themselves at the round lobby table while they drank their tea. The soft dusk light filtered in through the small motel windows.

"I feel like we've just wasted an entire day," Sokka whined. He took a drink from his tea.

The search team had arrived late that afternoon. As soon as they heard the news, Mal, Akai, and Xia took charge of most of the group and prohibited them from searching any further than they already had, explaining that tracks were fragile and that they didn't want extra footprints tainting any clues. To the further disappointment of the citizens, Zuko had to order the officers of the town to close off most of the trails while the trackers took a look at the area.

So they were forced to remain in the town while the search team what they did best. In the meantime, they were able to get their stuff ready for their upcoming travels.

Aang and Katara had shopped for them, making sure to stock up plenty of food. Zuko was busy most of the day doing more paperwork and sending out letters. Sokka on the other hand spent most of his time looking for the promised 'Goji' guy, to no avail.

Zuko took another sip from his tea. Chamomile, if he remembered properly.

"I just wish they would have at least let us help look around," Katara said glumly.

"So, it's been only one day. How far can someone get in one day?" Aang, ever the optimist, questioned.

"If what you mean by one day means 'from midnight to dusk', then I'd say pretty far," Sokka frowned.

Zuko looked down at the cup of chamomile tea. It was supposed to calm the nerves, but he felt anything other than calm. He felt restless; itching to at least be able to look around.

"I would have liked to help out too, but they probably know their stuff better than us. They're trained to do this stuff," Zuko sighed.

"I'm a hunter! You don't think I can track?" Sokka placed an offended hand on his chest.

Katara shook her head. "Sokka, anyone can track through snow. This is hard ground, and if you haven't noticed, hard ground doesn't leave that many footprints."

"Then how come Zuko's buddies aren't back yet?" Sokka gestured across the table towards Zuko, giving Katara an annoyed glare.

Just seconds later, the door to the motel lobby opened and the sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden flooring filled the room. The group of teenagers, excluding Sokka, turned their attention towards the approaching group.

Sokka's face deadpanned. "They just entered, didn't they?" He turned around.

Approaching them was Tarrak and the rest of his soldiers. He came to a stop and gave a short bow.

"Good evening, Fire Lord. I hope we are not interrupting anything." The man's eyes scanned the table of tea cups.

"Oh no. Not at all!" Zuko shook his head. "Do you have anything to report?"

"Yes, we do. I'll let Mal, Akai, and Xia speak with you… mostly Mal and Akai." They gave the soldier questioning looks. Tarrak stepped to the side to make way for the three men to step forwards.

One of the younger firebenders, Kizar, leaned in. "Xia isn't much of a talker," Kizar answered in a hushed voice. Zuko nodded. He could respect if Xia didn't want to talk.

He turned his attention towards the three trackers standing across from him.

"Good evening," Zuko nodded in greeting.

"Good evening, Fire Lord. If you could please clear the table of your stuff, it would be much appreciated," Akai requested. They picked up their tea cups and Zuko placed the teapot onto the floor. "Thank you."

Sokka grumbled in annoyance as Xia shoved his way past him. He threw down a rather large map onto the table, the scroll rolling it's way towards Zuko until it was fully open. Xia stepped back and slunk into the rest of the group.

Upon the piece of paper was a highly detailed map of the area and the surrounding roads and trails. A few places on the map were marked with ink; places which Zuko had no doubt were important.

Akai cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. "First, we must thank you for you patience. We've conducted a full search of the area around the town and searched some of the trails. Because of the town's police's own searching, it took a while to differentiate between their trails and any clues."

"We did however manage to find something very interesting along the east wall." Mal made his way to the other side of the table and pointed to a circle and some dotted lines along one side of the town. "There was a small trail of broken tallgrass that leads from the town's wall and stops right before a main road."

"We made an educated guess and narrowed down her possible path as heading north or north east." Clearly marked trails were highlighted. "A main travel road, which heads east to a nearby town, and two other trail systems that head north into the wilderness."

"It's hard to narrow it down to one single path. They have all been traveled along recently and the trail systems are quite extensive."

"Which is why we would like to propose some plans. We would like to split us all up into groups of two, with our komodo rhinos going down larger paths and the ostrich horses taking the much smaller ones. Also the extra group of three can fly your… ," Akai paused and looked to Aang for a little help.

"Bison"

"Yes! To fly your bison… "

The group paused as they took a moment to look over the map. Zuko wrung his hands together as he processed their request.

The trails, were indeed, quite extensive with many forks in the road and lots of branching paths. Not only that but some of the trails went on for miles and miles, all the way up to one of the main island's large volcanoes. It would be efficient to make groups of two, but…

"Wouldn't it be hard to communicate? It could take days to backtrack just to give information."

"Maybe we could rent some messenger hawks?" Katara pitched in. "There's a place around here that has some, right?"

"That or I could fly Appa to each one of us while also keeping a lookout from the air."

"Exactly! Kill two sea ravens with one stone," Mal encouraged Aang.

"Yeah, yeah, you all have good ideas, but aren't you thinking about how dangerous it would be to be spread out?" Sokka's expression turned serious. "What if we run into Azula and don't have any backup?"

"Please, Sokka. Look at these trails." Akai gestured to the map. He gave him a pleading look. "We need as many people spread throughout the trails as possible to make sure we don't miss anything, meaning that you could… uhh… you could… " Akai nervously looked towards Mal. His brother caught on quickly.

"...meaning that you could be a part of your own search team with… Suresh!" A quiet 'Wait what' came from the group of soldiers. "You're a hunter aren't you? You'll be great at tracking!" Katara gave them a criticizing glare, but otherwise didn't speak up.

Sokka gasped. "My own team!" He paused. "Does this mean he has to follow my orders?"

"Yes! He has to follow every order you give him," Mal smiled nervously.

"Hey! Why don't I get a say in this?" Another quiet comment comes from the group followed by an annoyed "Suck it up." Raleigh gives Suresh a quick punch to his arm.

"Ok I'm in. This plan is great." Sokka gives a satisfied smile.

Akai seems to hesitate. He looks to Zuko. "What do you think, Fire Lord?"

Everyone's attention turned towards him. He was the only one who could truly confirm their searching plan.

Zuko liked the sound of it. They could cover a lot more ground, minimize the amount of clues missed, and possibly catch up with Azula before she gets away again. Sure, the spacing was a bit of a problem, but splitting up into more groups would cover a larger amount of land.

"Yes. We'll go through with it. Though getting one messenger hawk wouldn't hurt."

The soldiers bowed.

Xia reached over and rolled up the map, allowing them to place their cups back onto the table.

Zuko picked the teapot from up off of the floor.

"Here. You've all done a great job today. How about you have some tea with us?"

* * *

When Azula awoke the next day, she half expected to find herself in her cozy bed back at the palace, but the reality was harsher than fiction. It was just another nightmare to come taunt her about all she had lost. It was nothing new, but that didn't mean that it hurt any less.

Azula let out a heavy sigh and sat up from her sleeping spot beneath the tree. With herself already awake, she may as well start packing up. So she began the small tasks that would eventually set up her new morning routine.

She started by combing her hair and retying her top knot, letting her classic bangs fall against the sides of her face. Next, she slipped on her shoes and stood up, patting down any wrinkles in her clothing.

With such a small amount of supplies, cleaning up the camp was quick and easy. She rolled up the sleeping mat and folded up her blanket in less than 5 minutes.

After a quick breakfast, which only consisted of a few pieces of jerky, Azula was ready to head out.

Just as she lifted the bag onto her back, she remembered that she had forgotten to check her waterskin. She placed her bag back down and opened up the flap.

Good thing she remembered. When she found the waterskin, it was nearly empty with little under a few gulps of water left. She picked it up and walked down to the stream.

As Azula crouched on the banks of the stream, she took a few moments to regard her appearance in the reflection. Her makeup had long been washed off and the makeup she had brought with her was probably still on the Avatar's flying bison in her other bag. Whatever. It wasn't like she needed her makeup. At least now without it, it would make her less recognizable if anyone were to pass by.

Azula emptied the old contents of the waterskin and dipped her hand into the cold water to refill it. She really hoped that the water was clean. It may have been fresh water, but that didn't mean it was free of dirt and other things that might have made its way into it.

A few moments passed before a barely noticeable tingling sensation seemed to spread from her hand up to the rest of her arm. At first Azula thought nothing of it, disregarding it as just the cold water, until the sensation began to rapidly spread throughout the rest of her body. Within just a few seconds, the tingling sensation intensified drastically. Startled, Azula jumped to her feet and dropped the waterskin.

An odd blue sparkling substance akin to water engulfed her body, starting from her feet and swiftly making its way to her head. In the blink of an eye, Azula was falling. It was as if her own body had swept its feet from beneath her and she barely had enough time to get her arms out in front of her to take the force of the impact.

The water splashed as she went plunging face first into the cold water of the stream. Azula gasped in surprise as the cold water met her skin. A few moments passed and the water calmed once more, flowing around her body which now obscured its path. Azula laid there in shock, mouth agape. She blinked a few times before she was brought out of her daze.

_'What just happened…?'_

The first thing she noticed was that her hair, which had previously been in a top knot a few seconds ago, was now untied and obscured her vision. Almost immediately after, she realized that her clothes were gone.

In alarm, Azula tried lifting herself to her feet. After a few failed attempts at getting up, a strong sense that something was wrong made her stomach sink with dread. She couldn't move her legs. She couldn't get up. She wasn't paralyzed was she? No, she couldn't be. She could still feel her muscles tensing and could still feel the water and ground beneath her.

Azula whipped her torso around to see what was happening.

As soon as the golden scales came into sight, Azula froze. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight.

A tail. She had a tail. One that stretched for a few feet longer than what her legs would be. The tail was golden-orange in color, reminiscent to that of a goldfish. A short dorsal fin ran along the back that ended just before a large flying dolphin fish-shaped fluke. The tail sparkled and glittered as she shifted her body.

It was then that she noticed that she was not completely naked. A matching bra, complete with scales and orange coloring, covered her chest.

"W-what in A-agni's name…," Azula stuttered in disbelief. She couldn't believe her eyes. She refused to believe. There was no way in Agni's name that she was…

"... a mermaid…," Azula croaked out, barely audible for even her to hear.

It had to be a hallucination. The nurses and doctors at the institution always told her that her mother was just a hallucination, maybe this could be one?

Azula tentatively reached down to touch the scales at her waist that transitioned from her skin to her tail. Once her fingers had made contact with the golden scales, it was immediately obvious that this was **not **a hallucination. She could feel the pressure she applied to them.

She stared at herself in horror filled awe as she took in the sight of her new tail. The scales were hard and strong, each one about the size of her thumbnail. The scales along the back of the tail were darker in color and slowly transitioned to a light beige color on the underside.

Azula rolled herself over and propped herself up on her elbows. Experimentally she moved her tail and watched as it lifted a few inches in the air before she relaxed and let it splash back into the shallow water of the stream. The tail was thick and obviously very strong. She could feel the power in her muscles.

'_But how?! What could have caused this…?' _Azula was in a state of disbelief.

Azula thought back to the moment she woke up to the moment she transformed. She thoroughly scanned through her memories. Waking up, tying her hair, packing her stuff… Nothing stood out in any way that could have affected her. Maybe it was something she consumed? All she had were a few strips of jerky and after that, she went down to get some water...

Water.

The events happened after she had touched the water. She went down to fill her waterskin and once she had touched the water, her skin started tingling and she transformed. It had to be water. She needed to get out of the stream.

Azula rolled back onto her stomach. The tail, though strong, was heavy; far heavier than her human body. With time (and difficulty), Azula was able to turn herself around.

Reaching up, she dragged herself up the bank of the stream. Inch by inch Azula drug herself farther from the water, her tail dragging in the mud until she made it to the grassy area of the clearing away from the stream. She continued to make her way across the clearing until she made it to her bag where she flopped onto her back and looked up into the morning sky.

She felt numb, as if the whole situation felt too outlandish to actually be real. Mermaids weren't supposed to be real. They were supposed to only be myths and stories made to entertain young girls.

"What is happening to me…?" Azula asked no one in particular, mostly herself. It wasn't like there was anyone around to answer her anyways.

Azula took a deep breath. She needed to get to the bottom of this. Water possibly couldn't be the only reason she had transformed. She had bathed in the same water the day before and nothing ever happened. It didn't make sense!

She propped herself on her elbows once more to stare at her tail.

Azula struggled to connect the dots, but slowly her fractured mind pieced together bits of information and she drew up a conclusion that made the most sense.

It was a curse. A curse placed upon her by that water peasant - no! That water **witch** that had defeated her during her Agni Kai with Zuko. Afterall, why wouldn't it be her? That peasant ruined her life, why not ruin her ability to walk and live on land. Water was the complete opposite of fire, too. Firebending while in water was almost impossible.

Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly whipped out her arm and took a deep breath. Azula let out a sigh of relief as the familiar warmth formed in her stomach and her blue flames ignited in her palm. At least she still had her firebending. She wasn't sure what would happen to her without it. She cut off the flame and placed her elbow back on the ground. She turned back onto her stomach.

She clenched her fists in anger. Azula knew just how that witch cursed her, too. Just like her mother had set up everything to defeat her, Ursa gave that water witch the curse and Azula has been cursed since the day she was chained to that dreaded grate. But one thing didn't add up. Why activate it now after she's already escaped? Why didn't she activate the curse as soon as she ran into Forgetful Valley?

An event from the day before came to mind. The island. She had forgotten all about it, the memory lost in the pile of plans she had for escaping that boat. She remembered the way the full moon seemed to oddly position itself right above her and suddenly flash before moving over the cone of the volcano.

It had to be her mother and that water witch. It was Ursa who kept her up all night and brought those guards to her so they could chase her into that cave, so it had to be the witch who activated the curse.

Maybe they simply transformed her today so they could lure her in with a false sense of security and pull the rug out from beneath her. It would explain why she didn't transform yesterday. Or maybe they waited to transform Azula to starve her and keep her disabled. Afterall, she was in the middle of the forest with no lakes or rivers around to offer her movement even if she accepted that she'd be stuck like this.

"So now you want to kill me, mother?" Azula laughed bitterly. "Was turning my own mind against me not enough so now you want to destroy my humanity and turn my own body against me?"

She wasn't expecting a response, but she should have known better than to directly address her mother. Speaking her name, heck just thinking about her was like summoning a demon.

"You know I would never do anything to harm you, right?" Her mother's voice came from behind her. Azula could hear her mother's footsteps approach her. In her peripheral vision, she saw Ursa kneel down on the grass beside her.

"So what do you call this?," Azula turned and hissed at Ursa, indicating to her long tail. "You've transformed me into a real monster now."

"This is not my doing. Why do you think I would do such a thing as this?" Ursa softly asked. Azula looked away from the worried eyes of her mother.

"Because you've been actively trying to sabotage my life since I was born," Azula growled.

"This not does not have to be negative. Some changes can be good," The hallucination of Ursa tried to comfort Azula.

"So you admit that this was you and that water witch's doing!" Azula accused. She quickly turned to look up at Ursa. "I demand that you transform me back. "

Azula expected to hear one of her mother's witty comebacks. Instead what followed was silence.

"You can change me back, right?"

Still nothing.

"It's not permanent, is it? Tell me it's not permanent," there was a hint of fear in Azula's voice.

Ursa was dead silent. She looked down at Azula with pity and sadness.

Azula stared in disbelief at the hallucination of her mother. She was the one person who was always there to annoy Azula; always trying to deter her from doing something bad or telling her to try something different. Azula never thought that she'd want to hear her mother talk as much as she wanted her to in that moment. She was seriously hoping Ursa could do something for her.

Azula watched in horror as Ursa stood up and turned to walk away. Even her hallucinations didn't have an answer for what was happening to her.

"Where are you going?!" Azula demanded angrily. She turned to face her receding mother. "Come back here!" An odd feeling rose up in her chest. "Aren't you going to help? You're the one who cursed me, so change me back! At least tell me how to change back! I don't want to be stuck like this forever!"

Her anger slowly changed to desperation as Ursa continued to walk away. She wasn't coming back to help. Azula began to hyperventilate as she watched Ursa disappear into the trees.

Azula was alone, forced to face the reality that she had become a mermaid and that she had no idea how to change back, if it was even possible. It deeply terrified her that the simple decision to get some water has altered the rest of her life. Now it seemed that she would be stuck like this forever.

No, no, no! This couldn't be happening. There had to be a way. If mother didn't have the answers, then she would find her own answers. She didn't need her useless excuse of a mother.

'_If water was the thing that transformed me, then maybe drying myself off will reverse the effects?'_ Azula took a guess. It was her best bet, and probably her only option.

Azula rolled over and drug herself over to her bag until she got close enough to grasp the straps. She pulled it closer and ripped out all of her neatly folded items until she came across her blanket. She hastily unfolded it and began rubbing at the scales on her tail.

The longer she continued to dry herself off, the greater her fear grew. Something has to happen soon. Maybe she just missed a spot. To the best of her ability, she reached down further to dry the scales along the end of her tail.

In all honesty, Azula didn't think her idea would work, but she was pleasantly surprised when that odd tingling feeling spread throughout her body and watched as the same odd, blue, bubbly substance engulfed her once more.

When she opened her eyes, it was as if nothing had ever happened. Her legs were back in their rightful place and her clothes had reappeared on her body. Even her once untied hair was retied in the exact same way she had styled it.

Azula held her breath as she slowly shifted her legs and reached down to touch her thigh. They were back! Her legs were back. Quickly, Azula scrambled to her feet. She caressed her legs as if letting go of them would make them disappear once more.

She needed to get away from this place and continue moving. Azula hastily gathered up her items once more and stuffed them into the bag. She threw her bag over her shoulder and was ready to leave the area, until her discarded waterskin by the bank of the stream caught her attention. Azula paused.

Water. Her worst enemy, but one of the most vital elements for life.

Cautiously, Azula approached the bank of the stream once more. She leaned over the waterskin and carefully bent down, holding out her hand. She debated as to whether or not she should pick it up.

Was the transformation a one time thing? Would it become permanent if she did change again? What about drinking? Would she transform if she drank water?

She lightly grasped the damp waterskin and stood up. Wrong move. Her fingers started tingling and she quickly threw the waterskin back down. In a panic she wiped her fingers on her shirt, quickly drying her hand. Azula quickly backed up from the stream, and thankfully the tingling went away as soon as she had dried off her hand.

She looked back at the flowing water of the stream as if it were some living thing. It felt like a creature waiting for Azula to get close enough so it could consume her. She knew it was irrational to feel this way, but this fear felt more dominant than her rational thinking.

The longer she continued to stare, the faster her heart seemed to beat until she could hear it beating in her ears. The color seemed to drain from her surroundings. Slowly, the edges of her vision darkened until it felt like the water was the only thing she could see. Her breathing quickened with her ever increasing fear. She felt frozen in place, the fear quickly becoming overwhelming.

Suddenly, she snapped back to reality. Azula suddenly jerked back, turned, and ran out of the clearing. She didn't want to get near the water. She didn't even want to see it.

She burst out of the brush and sharply turned right onto the trail she had been following. As soon as she was out of that area, she felt like she could breathe easier; like a heavy cloud had been lifted. Azula placed her hands on her knees and took a few deeps breaths.

Just another reason why she hated feeling this way and why she used it against people. She was supposed to control the fear, it was not supposed to control her! So why couldn't she push this feeling away?

Her wretched mother and that water witch were to blame. It was always the same people ruining her life, wasn't it?

Her fear slowly fueled her rage. She needed to focus on her objective and get to the Gates of Azulon.

Her objective. Azula's eyes widened in remembrance.

How would her new transformation of hers affect her plans? Her reign? Her nation? A new level of seriousness was added to her situation.

No one could **ever **find out. Whatever she did, she would make sure to never transform again. Even if it meant not drinking just to keep her secret.

Maybe that was their plan: To make her every waking hour as hazardous as it could be so her mother could expose her to the world as a real monster. It would be a challenge, but it was necessary to take any precautions to prevent her from transforming again.

Azula stood up straight, her breathing finally calm enough for her to properly function. She would continue onwards despite the circumstances. She has overcome impossible odds before, she can do it again. Afterall, it is her destiny to become Fire Lord.

Azula continued to walk along the path.

* * *

**Yes! Finally the moment you have been waiting for! I mean, it's an H2O crossover fic so how can there not be mermaids? It's probably an unexpected reaction from Azula. Think of Cleo's reaction times 20. I wanted to have 2 Azula POV's to express the suddeness of this change. Tansformation seems to only happen about a day after falling into the moonpool, as shown by Evie in Mako Mermaids. **

**One of the reasons I love the show so much is because of the tails. They are the most realistic mermaid tails I've seen, and I love their golden coloring. The H2O season 3 tails were my favorite.**

**Also another nod to H2O season 3 in referencing Bella, Rikki, and Cleo as the three mysterious waterbenders who stoped an asteroid. I suggest watching the show finale, Graduation.**

**Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope this lived up to expectations. I'll see you all next year ;)**


	7. Chapter Six: Aquaphobia

**Hello once again everyone, and Happy (Very Late) New Year! I apologize for the very long wait. This chapter went through a lot of changes that set me back quite a bit each time. Also I've been very, very busy with school. Curse my poor time management skills.**

**Days are important to keep track of in this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Aquaphobia**

**DAY 1**

Everything was confusing and scary. So incredibly scary. One day she's completely fine, the next she's a human fish hybrid. Azula wasn't sure what had happened to her, and it terrified her. Before, she thought that she had only herself to trust, but now she couldn't even trust her own body.

Perhaps if she were still a child, becoming a mermaid would have been a dream come true. Nobody warned her how terrifying it would be to lose part of your humanity. Especially so suddenly and without warning. It was sickeningly surreal to have her legs transform into a giant fish tail. Now Azula truly felt like a monster.

For hours after the incident, she continued to ask herself the same questions:

'_What is happening to me?'_

'_How could this have happened?'_

'_What does this mean for my future?'_

Azula could only try her best to come up with answers. All of them continued to lead back to that water witch and Ursa. They've already ruined her life. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? It was such a simple request, but every one seemed intent on bothering her.

The most difficult part of all was avoiding water. Everywhere Azula looked, there was water. The forest, which had once been inviting and calm, had become anxiety inducing and scary. The creeks that flowed down from the mountains crisscrossed the forest floor.

In normal Azula fashion, she quickly devised a solution. Every creek she came across, she would immediately evaporate it and dash across the exposed rock bed before the water started flowing once more. It may have been unnecessary to completely evaporate a stream and some of the surrounding foliage, but as long as it kept her away from the water and the water away from her, she could care less about the damage.

Azula's anxiety only increased the more she continued to list all possible sources of water. The one that concerned her the most was that the Fire Nation's wet season was just beginning, and soon it would be typhoon season. That meant frequent rain, sudden downpours, and storms that could last for large portions of a week. The day was cloud-free, but that could quickly change in a couple hours. Every once in a while, her eyes flicker towards the sky.

By the end of the day, Azula was already overwhelmed. It was only the first day and she was expected to live the rest of her life constantly on the alert for water?! She could barely make it through a day without nearly falling into a stream, let alone avoid water altogether. How would she cope if it rained? What would happen when she needed to bathe?

Azula sat, looking blankly into the freshly stoked campfire. The flickering of the light and its comforting warmth did little to soothe her troubled mind. There were so many more questions she could ask; so many more with no answers, but there was one question she had been avoiding asking. The question existed as more of a feeling of dread than a comprehensible thought. She could feel the tears building up at the corners of her eyes as the words forced their way into existence.

_'What would father think?'_

Azula brought her knees up to her chest and pressed her face into her arms as tears began to pour down her face. The heavy, uncontained sobs of another breakdown began to wrack her body.

Father would disown her. Azula knew he would. There was no way he would take her back now. Father would only see her as a disgrace. A freak. A monster. Then he would abandon her just like everyone else did. Just like mother did.

The campfire briefly flickers blue as her emotions begin to spiral out of control. Azula curls further inwards on herself.

She didn't ask for this. She didn't want any of this. Why couldn't things just go back to normal? Why couldn't she just go back to normal?

Truthfully, Azula didn't feel like 'herself' anymore. In fact, she has not felt like 'herself' for quite a while now. Azula felt like the complete opposite of everything she used to be; everything she wanted to be.

She could practically hear father berating her for being so weak. She's already failed him twice. First in failing to defeat Zuko and second in failing to kill mother. Now she was going to fail him again, this time because her own body has failed her.

Father would most definitely not want her back. Why would anyone want to love a monster, a failure, and a disgrace like her?

Azula grips her head and wails in anguish. Her head hurts so terribly. Her thoughts feel like they're out of control. She rocks herself back and forth beside the now dying campfire.

Day gives way to night as the dusk sky fades once more. It'll be another sleepless night.

* * *

Zuko looked closely at the forest slowly moving past below them. Aang sat atop Appa's head, steering their path, while he and Katara looked over the sides of the saddle.

He consciously decided to join Aang and Katara on the saddle. Even when they encouraged him to search on the ground, Zuko refused. They were confused at first, but when he brought up the point that he needed a stable connection to the Capital City, they didn't press him any further. With the growing pressure from the New Ozai Society, it was important that Zuko stay in contact with Iroh while he was away. It would have been hard to keep a constant connection while in the middle of a forest.

It was quiet, with only the wind to break the silence. It wasn't the peaceful type of quiet, it was the solemn type of quiet; the type of quiet that would occur when something particularly stressful was bothering someone.

Zuko let his head droop.

Just on the inside of his shirt was a folded letter; one he had received only half an hour before their departure.

Momo, the only one who's attention wasn't focused on the ground, must have noticed his downcast behavior for the winged lemur seated himself beside Zuko. The lemur cooed and pressed his cheek into Zuko's side.

Zuko was brought back into awareness. It was then that he realized that he had been more focused on thinking than scanning the forest. He looked over at the small animal. Momo stared back with innocent eyes. He gave a sad coo and put his ears back. The message was clear.

There was no use in bottling up his emotions.

Zuko sighed and gave a slight smile. Momo may have been an animal, but he was a clever little bugger. He gave the lemur a gentle pat between the ears.

He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, his hand wavering over the spot in which the letter was concealed. Zuko reopened his eyes.

"Guys, something's been bothering me," Zuko's crestfallen tone cutting through the serene quiet quickly caught the other's attention. He fully turned around to face his friends.

"Hmm? What's up, Zuko?" Aang airbent down to saddle to sit in front of Zuko.

Katara turned around, her head tilted in curiosity.

"I received a letter from Mother this morning."

"Oh..." Both of their eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"How did she take the news?" Katara carefully asked.

"Not well. Not well at all." Zuko wanted to show them the letter, but he decided against it. He couldn't bear to look at the obvious places where Ursa's tears had hit the page. The shaky writing and smudged ink. "She wants to join us."

"To join us?" Katara asked in disbelief. "But she needs to stay in Hira'a to take care of Kiyi."

"Not to mention that this entire trip is extremely dangerous!" Aang joined in protest. "Ursa could get hurt or lost. Or worse. Azula could…" The Avatar trailed off, leaving a disturbing implication.

Zuko's stomach knotted. It wasn't pleasant to think about. Especially since Azula had once before been so close to taking their mother's life.

"Which is exactly why I don't want Mother coming with us. I hate to decline her request, but mother just doesn't realize how dangerous Azula is." Zuko hated to say it, but it was true. "And judging by recent events, she's only going to get more aggressive. Did you hear what she did to those guards? Soon this won't just be about Azula anymore. I need to take the safety of the citizens of my nation into consideration."

Zuko didn't want to make any drastic decisions, but Azula was starting to push his boundaries.

Katara nodded in understanding. Her expression became serious. "I agree, you should. If she's willing to go as far as kill Ursa, then there's nothing stopping her from hurting others."

"We're all afraid of that, but I'm confident we'll catch her soon." Aang speaks with certainty and determination.

"Me too." Katara's eyes flickered with remembrance. "She's slipping again. We've already come close to getting her once, we can get her again."

"I'm sure we will." Zuko finds little comfort in their words, but he gives them a smile anyways. "Thank you."

"Anytime." Aang smiles back and returns to his spot on Appa's head.

Katara gives a head nod of her own and turns around to look over the saddle.

Zuko turns back around and the smile fades from his face. He isn't any less somber than when he first received the letter. Despite their reassurance, he can't help but think that maybe there won't be a next time. He has a solution, but it makes his stomach churn with uncertainty and regret. Even with these feelings, it was becoming a more and more favorable option.

Maybe they'd catch her faster if he issued a wanted poster.

* * *

**DAY 2**

She is faintly aware that someone is stroking her hair. Their delicate fingers glided their way soothingly through her long locks of black hair. She wants to get lost in these sensations and fall back into the comfort of sleep. No matter how hard Azula tries, it's like the person who is doing this is both calming her and calling her into wakefulness. The fogginess lifts as she comes to and Azula opens her eyes.

What she saw was nothing out of the ordinary. Just trees upon trees. Azula was still in the same forest. The sun had risen just enough that the forest wasn't pitch black anymore.

Azula tilted her head to the side. Above her loomed the unforgettable face of her mother. She looked unaware that Azula had awoken as Ursa continued stroke her hair with closed eyes. It was then that Azula felt her head resting upon something soft.

This woman, whom Azula had the displeasure of calling Mother, had the gall to not only stroke her hair, but put her head in her lap.

Azula forcefully pushed her mother's arm away as it came down to stroke her head once more. Ursa opened her eyes and let Azula out of her grasp. In seconds, Azula was up and she quickly distances herself from her still sitting mother.

"Did I give you consent to touch me?" Azula snaps at Ursa. She does not appreciate being touched while she is sleeping.

Azula shivered in discomfort. She had actually liked having her mother care for her.

Ursa didn't seem surprised in the slightest. Instead she ignored Azula's outburst. "My daughter, why do you chase a throne that you know is not yours?"

It definitely wasn't a question Azula was expecting, but her expression quickly turned into a scowl.

"You know more than I that the throne is rightfully mine. Have you forgotten about the letter? The one that clearly states that Zuko isn't even Ozai's son." To further press her argument, Azula added, "How about our Agni Kai? I struck him. He lost that Agni Kai on the day of Sozin's Comet. It should be me on the throne. Me!"

She roared the final word with the ferocity of an angry tigerdilo and even brought flames to her palms. Her presence alone would have been enough to scare the most hardened soldiers. How Ursa could just sit there unfazed in the midst of her fury and instability brought a white hot burning rage to Azula's stomach.

Her mother only sighed and shook her head, as if Azula simply didn't understand what she was talking about.

It took most of her control to not lash out at her mother. What could Ursa possibly know that she didn't?

"Your destiny does not lie on the throne. Can't you see that your destiny has changed?" Ursa gestured towards Azula.

Ursa doesn't state it outright, but Azula understands her clearly. She shifts her legs. "I know what you're doing mother. You do not control my destiny."

"Have you considered that certain things happen for a reason Azula?" Ursa frowned.

"If you think I'm going to let this curse you've placed upon me change my plans, then you're terribly mistaken."

Azula glared as her mother rose from her spot on the ground.

Ursa shook her head once more and began to back out of the clearing.

It was then that a barely noticeable stream of water coming from the forest caught Azula's eye.

"Please, consider my words." Ursa continued to back out of the clearing as more water began to flow from the forest. Azula's breathing quickened and her adrenaline spiked. "If you continue down this path, it will have dire consequences." And with those final ominous words, Ursa disappeared into the trees leaving Azula in the midst of the rapidly flooding clearing.

Azula was at a loss of what to do. Her head swiveled back and forth as she frantically looked for a way out. She could find no exit as the water had quickly surrounded her. In a panic, she blasted the approaching water, hot plumes of steam rising into the air. Despite her best efforts, the water had reached her feet, and quickly her ankles.

Before she knew it, the ground gave way and the water swallowed her whole. When her eyes reopened, the forest was replaced by a bottomless ocean abyss.

Fear surged through her body. Azula quickly started swimming up, kicking with all her might as she tried to reach open air. Her head was close to breaching the surface when a familiar tingling sensation made its way through her limbs and her body was briefly engulfed in bubbles. When vision returned once more, she watched in terror as the surface was pulled away from her as she sank.

She kicked and thrashed in desperation, but her body felt paralyzed. Her muscles refused to obey, producing only feeble twitches. The tail was like a lead weight pulling her down into the abysmal ocean depths.

All the while her chest grew tighter the longer she held her breath. With all her thrashing, it wasn't long before the need to breathe became unbearable. Against better judgement, and following the instinctive need for air, she inhaled. Regret was her first thought at the water painfully entered her lungs.

She was quickly caught in the vicious cycle of drowning; trying to cough up the water only to inhale more in her need for air.

Her mind raced with fear and panic as she choked.

There was nothing she could do but watch as she fell further and further from the light.

**...**

Azula wakes with a gasp. She bolts into an upright position and grasps her throat. Desperately, she takes large gulps of air. She feels short of breath and there is a tightness in her chest.

She can do nothing but ride out the episode. And so she does, taking large breath after large breath as she tries to calm herself.

Ever so slowly, the tightness eases and her breathing calms. Azula hesitates for a moment before finally removing her hand from around her throat. Slowly, she lowers her hands to the ground.

Azula lets out a shaky sigh of relief as her fingers meet the dirt.

'_You're okay.'_ She reassures herself. '_You're okay.'_ Azula takes another raspy breath to ground herself.

She was not drowning, not sinking, not swimming in an endless abyss of water. It was just another dream. One sent by mother to torment her further.

Azula had to give her credit though. It was clever of Ursa to force her into listening to her by making her experience something horrible if she refused.

This only strengthened Azula's defiance. She wasn't going to give in to Ursa's demands. This was her destiny and her mother had no say over it.

She looks around. The forest was still mostly engulfed in the shadows of the early morning. The fire she sat beside was long dead.

She must have fallen asleep sometime during the night. It surely wasn't enough sleep because she still felt terribly exhausted. Even if she wanted to rest, the sun was close to rising; Azula could feel it. With its increasing strength, it would be futile to try and sleep now.

Azula carefully lifts herself onto shaky legs. Her muscles twitched and shook uncomfortably, still recovering from the shock.

She gathers up her things and dismantles the firepit before promptly exiting her campsite.

As she walks, she can still feel the phantom pain in her chest, as if her lungs had really been filled with water. With the dream still fresh in her mind, her thoughts keep flashing back to it: the helplessness she felt, the absolute terror. It deeply disturbs her. Azula shudders.

* * *

There were many things you could learn about a person if you spent enough time with them. Especially if said person was the only source of interaction for hours on end. Sokka found that Suresh was a nice guy. He had an interest in music, a fascination with constellations, and liked to carve. What sold it for Sokka though was their shared interest in delicious cooked meat. It took a little while for the soldier to open up. However, what quickly became apparent was that Suresh was terribly anxious.

"I think those might be two-headed rat viper burrows." It's the fifth comment Suresh has made on the small burrows just off to the sides of the overgrown footpath. Despite multiple reassurances, and even a suggestion to use his ostrich horse as a therapy animal, it did nothing to quell his anxiousness.

"You just have to relax." Sokka says in a tone that suggests he's already had enough of Suresh and his constant comments on every little danger he sees.

"Ok. Relax. Just relax." He hears Suresh take a deep breath before the forest goes silent. Their footsteps are the only sounds produced.

Sokka silently pleads it remains this way.

Suresh, of course, breaks the silence.

"I don't know- AHHH!"

Suresh jumped as a small black creature emerged from one of the burrows.

Instinctively, Sokka turned expecting the worst. He took one look at the offending creature standing in the middle of the path and gave the soldier a raised eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

A large black elephant rat stood in the middle of the path, staring up at the petrified soldier with its beady eyes.

"It's just a… just a rat…," Suresh nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe… maybe I am a bit too paranoid."

"A bit too paranoid." He looked at Suresh as if that was the biggest understatement of his life. Sokka gave a sigh, turned, and continued walking. "Let's continue moving. Hopefully we can reach the next checkpoint by nightfall."

The ostrich horse looked down at the rodent, curiously tilting its head back and forth. There were a few tense seconds, then the elephant rat shrieked as the ostrich horse took a peck at it and ran off into the grass.

"Woah hey!" Suresh pulled back on the lead as the ostrich horse tried to go after the rodent. Sokka turned to see what the commotion was about.

The large bird squawked in protest and only pulled harder against Suresh.

"Sokka! I need a little help here!"

Sokka rushed over and took hold of the lead.

A _look_ entered the ostrich horse's eye. One mighty push from the large beast was all that it took for the rope to be yanked from their hands.

The ostrich horse took off after the fleeing elephant rat into the brush.

Both stood there in shock for a few moments as the ostrich horse carrying all of their stuff bolted off. They looked at one another with equally alarmed faces.

"After the ostrich horse!" Sokka yelled out and charged into the bushes.

Sokka followed the path of destruction, ducking under broken branches and forcing his way through the thick bush. Suresh was on his heels, picking up any items that may have been dislodged from the saddle.

They burst into an open clearing.

The elephant rat was squeaking in terror as the large animal pecked furiously at the ground.

The elephant rat made a mad dash for the burrow on the other side of the clearing, the ostrich horse right on its tail. It dived for the hole, and just like that the elephant rat was gone, leaving a frustrated ostrich horse to scratch at the entrance.

"Gotcha!"

Sokka seized the lead and quickly tied it around the trunk of a tree.

Both let out sighs of relief.

"She must be hungry. We should let her graze for a bit," Suresh suggested as he began repacking the fallen items.

Sokka turned and observed the clearing, trying to determine the way they had entered. Thankfully, they weren't lost. The obvious hole in the bushes was easy to spot, but during his overview of the area he spotted something curious in the grass.

Sokka made his way over to the dark patch in the grass. The closer he got, the more obvious the pile of burned wood became. Sokka observed the scorched spot curiously.

"Hey, Suresh. Come here."

He heard the firebender jog up behind him.

Suresh looked at the pile of ash with familiarity. "Looks like it was a campfire."

"Maybe this is a campsite," Sokka suggested. He had a sneaking suspicion that it might have belonged to a certain someone… "Look around. Maybe there might be some clues."

Suresh nodded and both went in opposite directions.

Sokka walked along the clearing's edge, looking out for anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh hey! There's a stream down here." He heard Suresh call from behind him. Sokka expected that to be the end of it, but a few moments later…

"Sokka… you're going to want to see this," Suresh's voice shook with his trademark nervousness. Sokka turned on his heel and quickly made his way towards Suresh's voice. When he rounded the corner, what he saw made him stop in his tracks.

There was a large, deep drag mark in the mud, as if something heavy had been pulled from the stream. It began at the bank and continued until it reached the open clearing. Even then, the drag marks continued judging by the flattened and torn grass.

Sokka walked alongside the indent, taking in and observing the odd sight until he made it to the stream's edge. An item left by the bank caught his attention. He bent down to pick up what looked to be a waterskin.

"I've never seen anything like this. What could have caused this?" Suresh asked, baffled.

Sokka was just as confused. He rubbed his chin in thought.

"A campsite in the middle of the woods, strange drag marks… it could have been Azula."

"But how can you be sure that this was Azula's camp?"

"We can't, but it's the best lead we've got. I mean just look at it," Sokka gestured to the obvious drag marks in the mud. "Do you think any sane person would make markings like this on the ground?"

The soldier gulped. "You don't think it could have been a body, do you?"

Sokka hesitated. Truthfully, he doesn't know. This was Azula they were talking about, so naturally he thought the worst. His expression became serious. "I wouldn't put it past her. We need to tell the others as soon as possible."

"But it will be hours before the Fire Lord comes to check up on us."

"I have a simple solution for that." Sokka dug his hand into his pocket and fished out a strange looking piece of wood. He smirked. "A bison whistle."

**...**

Surprisingly quick, Appa had arrived at the site with a perplexed Avatar, Fire Lord, and sister on board wondering why Appa had changed direction so suddenly.

When they were led to the mysterious drag marks, they only became even more perplexed. None of them had ever seen anything like it.

After taking a good hard look at the tracks and the clearing, it was obvious that someone had been there, but to say it was Azula was hard to determine. Other than a waterskin and an old campfire, there was no other material evidence to tie her to the area.

Katara was the one to suggest that they should look a bit more before jumping to conclusions.

Their little group trudged down the overgrown footpath. Behind the group, Suresh led his ostrich horse while Momo flew through the trees. Much more ungracefully, Appa crashed through the undergrowth doing his best to shove his way down the small path.

At the head of the group was Zuko. He was on high alert, scanning the undergrowth and path for anything that might be of interest. So far, the only evidence had been back at the camp. There was nothing else along the path. Or so he thought…

Zuko's good eye widened in shock and he halted in his walking. Being at the head of the group, he was the first one to witness the carnage when they came upon the first stream.

"If we weren't sure before, there's not a doubt in my mind now that Azula has definitely been this way," He commented.

Obviously curious, his companions nudged their way past him to get their own look. The expressions on each of their faces morphed into ones of shock and surprise.

The scorched forest stood out like a sore thumb in the lush surroundings. Partially burned and blackened trees lined the stream's edge. Further evidence that someone had bent fire long and hot enough was the blackened and baked earth on the stream's bank.

"All the plants, the trees…," Katara gasped as she looked at the area of blackened plants.

Zuko walked up to the burned grass. By the scorch marks alone, it was clear that there was no effort made to put out the fire once it was started. It was a miracle that it didn't spread further and start a wildfire.

"But why would she go out of her way to burn a bunch of trees?" Aang shared Katara's feelings for the plants. The Avatar gently placed his hand on one of the blackened trunks.

"It seems wrong to have such a beautiful steam flow through such a barren area." Katara frowned.

Sokka shook his head. "I don't understand. There's no strategic value in this."

"Makes it easier to find her, doesn't it?" Suresh gave an unsure smile.

"I don't know." Zuko narrowed his eyes. The clue was just too convenient and obvious. "It's kind of suspicious, don't you think? I thought she was trying to get away. Why make such an obvious trail?"

"You don't think she's planning something, do you?" Sokka turned to face Zuko.

Zuko paused as he considered the possibility. It could be a product of her instability or an elaborate trap. He shook his head.

"Honestly, there's no real way to tell."

"What do you suggest we do, Fire Lord?" Suresh asked. The others turned their heads to look at Zuko.

"I'll send out a message to the other groups. If this truly is a plan of hers, I want all of us together if and when we face her. We'll continue following the trail in the meantime."

* * *

**DAY 3**

Dehydration. It's an unfamiliar feeling to her; definitely not one she thought she'd ever experience. She's always been well fed and well hydrated, but it wasn't hard to tell that her days of not drinking were taking a toll.

Azula's throat was parched and dry, triple the amount of discomfort she had felt the day prior. Her lips were cracking and her skin felt tight. There's a dizzy feeling in her head that doesn't seem to go away.

"It's just another thing to overcome," Azula keeps telling herself.

A part of her recognizes the irrationality. She just wants to scream at herself to cut the crap, but the overwhelming fear outweighs this urge.

Now she stands just feet away from the next stream.

The day had been particularly warm and the terrain was progressively becoming rougher as she neared one of the island's many volcanoes. She was exhausted and weary, and her throat itched with the need for water.

And so she gets closer, driven by the instinct to survive. She can feel her heart rate increase with each step she takes.

Azula manages to kneel down on the bank.

The water is right there. Precious, life giving water. Water that will satisfy the dryness of her throat and ease the uncomfortable feeling in her body. All she needs to do is reach out and touch it.

She lifts her arm and slowly extends it towards the glistening surface of the flowing stream.

'_You can't give in.' _A little voice at the back of her mind speaks up.

Her confidence falters and her hand stops moving. She holds her hand just a couple centimeters above the flowing water. Her hand is trembling.

The dream flashes in her mind; sinking into the endless, inky black abyss. The memory of her first transformation flashes in her mind; the vulnerability, confusion, and terror she felt during that moment.

She bails at the last second.

Azula flinches as she snaps back to reality. She jumps to her feet and retreats from the water's edge.

She can't do it. She can't. Not again. She didn't want to experience that terrifying transformation again.

Azula continues backing up until she is at what she feels is a safe distance. She moves into a stance and punches the air.

"RAH!"

The blue flames burst from her fist, creating an explosion of hot steam as it meets the water. Azula holds the stream of fire steady until she is sure it is safe to cross. She drops her arms and sprints across the exposed rock bed, stumbling onto the other edge of the stream.

The steam dissipates and new water quickly refills the displacement.

She shakilly sighs and runs a hand down her face. Azula let's a few moments pass to compose herself. She lifts herself back up and takes a few steps forward, ready to continue her journey.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" A soft voice speaks from behind her.

Azula whips around, startled. She stares at the area in confusion. No one is there.

"I don't want to see you hurt yourself," the voice speaks again.

She follows the sound and looks down. Staring back at her past the ripples in the water is Ursa.

"You." Azula says with spite. Her voice sounds gravelly and talking feels uncomfortable with her dry throat; something that comes as a slight surprise to her.

"I am here for you, my daughter." The warm smile Ursa gives her makes Azula roll her eyes.

"You haunt my dreams and now you hide within the water. Typical of you. Too afraid to actually talk to me face to face." Azula readjusts the bag on her back and turns around. " Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go now."

"You shouldn't have to be afraid to ask others for help."

The word "afraid" catches her ear. Azula pauses in her walking. She looks over her shoulder.

"I don't need anyone's help. After your last walkout, I definitely don't need yours." Azula aims a pointed glare at Ursa.

"I'm sure your brother and the Avatar could assist you." Ursa suggests with a smile.

Azula turns to look at Ursa in the reflection.

"Are you suggesting that I actually lower myself to asking Zuzu for help?" The idea was so preposterous, Azula could laugh at it. "Even If I did, which I definitely do not want to, what am I supposed to say? 'Oh, I'm a mermaid now'. Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

The irony of her words is lost on her.

Azula swallows. "I can overcome this myself." The roughness of her voice suggests otherwise.

"You're trying to overcome the wrong fear."

'_Afraid… fear…'_ the words echo in her mind.

The fact that Ursa continues to suggest she's scared fills her with an uncomfortable, vulnerable feeling. Azula wants to end this conversation soon. Ursa's warnings only serve to make her more defensive than open her up.

"It's not fear," Azula argues. "It's because of you and that water witch, Katara, or whatever her name is! Do you think I want to avoid water for the rest of my life?"

"Don't hurt yourself anymore than you already have, my daughter."

"I am not hurting myself, I'm just not letting you win. You can torture me all you want, but I'll never admit deafeat to you."

Ursa wears a look of concern.

Azula huffs and turns around. "Goodbye." She walks away from the stream's edge, continuing her journey on the trail.

"You're scared, Azula." Her mother's voice calls from the reflection in the stream.

She pauses in her walking. Her fists clenched in anger. "I said goodbye, mother," Azula bites out.

There is no response. Azula takes it as her queue to leave. She leaves the edge of the stream and continues walking.

If she's been keeping track correctly, she should hopefully reach her desired destination by tomorrow night. Azula looks to the sky where the midday sun looms. It'll be quite a while until then.

* * *

The messenger hawk preened it's feathers after yet another long flight. Below it's position in the tree, two men stood around a campfire. One held up the message the hawk had just delivered while the other listened with interest. Behind the encampment, some ostrich horses and komodo rhinos slept peacefully.

"I can't believe it. An easy to follow, defined trail," Tarrak commented as Xing finished reading out the scroll.

Xing let out a small snort, "Me neither, but it looks like we might be closer to pay day than we thought."

Tarrak couldn't help but give a short laugh, but quickly composed himself.

"We still have to capture her first," he pointed out, "She may have been cooped up in a mental hospital for a year, but it doesn't seem like she has lost any of her strength. Azula is going to put up one hell of a fight."

"We can worry about that when we reach her. Right now, I've got to start searching for the quickest path to the Fire Lord's area." Xing handed the letter over to Tarrak and walked into the tent.

Unbeknownst to the soldiers, two men listened with intrigue from the shadows of the forest.

He absentmindedly stroked his short beard.

"So, they have a definite trail on where she's going." He spoke as quietly as he could, his deep voice making it hard to keep a soft tone.

"Doesn't sound like something Azula would do, though. Unless she has a plan of her own." His accomplice spoke from behind him.

"Either way, we can't let the princess get caught. We need her if we want to bring this nation back to its former glory." He turned around.

His accomplice raised his eyebrow in suspicion. "Why do we need her? We have the society to free him. Do you doubt their abilities?"

He narrowed his eyes at his partner. "I don't doubt their abilities, but think about it. It's been what? Months? And we haven't made any progress with removing Zuko from the throne."

The other man paused as he thought this over. "You bring up a good point, but you're forgetting that we know where Zuko is and that he doesn't have his guards to protect him. Why not just kill him? Slice his throat while he's not looking."

"Have you forgotten about the Avatar!?" He hissed and roughly jabbed the other man in the chest. "He's at Zuko's side nearly all of the time. There's only two of us. Most definitely not enough to take down an Avatar. It'll just add to the list of failed assasination attempts."

The other man huffed. "I suppose you're right. But then what shall we do?"

"If you had been listening, Azula is heading north. Don't you see? She's not just trying to get away, she's trying to circle back to the Capital. There, we'll have the proper equipment and men. And with her as our leader, we'll finally have plans to set into motion. She's probably the only one who can get him out of prison."

"So we need to ensure that she makes it to the Capital?"

"Exactly."

"If that's the case, then we need to slow them down."

"I have just the plan," he chuckles darkly. "For the New Ozai Society."

His partner nods back. "For the New Ozai Society."

"Follow me." He pulled back into the shadows, his partner following after.

The two men slunk away from their hiding spot on the edge of the campsite and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

**DAY 4**

As soon as Azula awoke that morning, she could sense that something was terribly wrong. It wasn't just the extreme dryness of her throat that set her on edge. The first telltale signs was a feeling of extreme fatigue that refused to go away, even after having a full night's rest. Her limbs felt heavy and her movements were noticeably sluggish. Her head feels fuzzy and her thoughts incomplete, as if her mind was shrouded in thick fog.

Azula stumbles along the path, her movements more like a drunk after a night on the town than her usual graceful and purposeful strides.

She craves water. There is no more juicy fruit to, at the very least, ease her dry throat. What remained of her rations was salty hippo cow jerky, which would only serve to worsen her dehydration. Her instincts yelled at her to drink, but even if she wanted to, there were no sources of water in her immediate area.

In the dim light of the early morning, she spots something ahead. It is out of the ordinary in that it does not match the surrounding trees. Rather, it is a structure of some kind. A sign sits in the middle of the four converging paths.

The closer she gets, the more comprehensible the words on the sign become. Azula stumbles into the intersection.

Her legs buckle in exhaustion and she falls to the ground, landing with a hard thump. Her bag goes rolling off her back and its contents spill onto the dusty ground.

Azula slowly lifts herself into a kneeling position before the sign and looks up. Amongst the various different names, her eyes spot the desired indicating arrow: Phoenix City; the closest place to the Gates of Azulon besides the outpost itself. The next stop in her journey back to the capital.

Azula sluggishly gathers up the things strewn around her and stuffs it into her bag. She struggles to lift herself up, her muscles feeling useless and weak. Her legs buckle once more, forcing her back into her position on the ground. The strength feels like it has been drained from her body.

She looks helplessly up at the sign. She is so close to her destination. So close. Phoenix City was just one last day of walking through the mountain pass.

Azula swallows in an attempt to ease the almost unbearable dryness of her throat. Her breathing was raspy, further evidence of her dehydration.

"Now do you see what I mean?"

Azula doesn't need to look over to know who it is.

The hallucination walks up one of the paths towards her.

"I tried warning you. Helping you. I wish you could have realized sooner," Ursa softly says.

"Way to tell me 'I told you so', mother." Her voice sounded gravely and hoarse. Azula winced at the sound of her own voice. Dear Agni did she sound terrible.

"You have to come to terms that you are afraid. Only then will you overcome this."

"I'm not afraid," Azula lies to, not only the hallucination, but herself as well. She only wished she believed it.

But she is afraid, isn't she? It's the whole reason why she went through with this ridiculous plan of not drinking. It's the reason why she is on the ground right now, about to succumb to the effects of her rash decision.

She refuses to admit that she made a mistake.

"You should let me handle this, mother." Someone speaks from across the trail. It's a voice Azula knows very well and very personally.

The bushes rustle and out walks a girl.

Absolute terror grips Azula's body. She gasps and her eyes widen in fear.

"After all, we are the same person."

Azula blinks once, twice, and rubs her eyes, yet the illusion does not disappear. The person that stands before her is none other than herself.

The girl walked with all the grace and power that Azula had once had. Her top knot adorned the golden crown Azula once wore. The elegant black, red, and gold royal armor that covered her body only amplified the aura of power and intimidation the doppelganger seemed to give off.

"H-how… I…," Azula stutters in disbelief. "This isn't possible." She cannot wrap her head around the situation.

"Mother obviously had no chance of getting to you, so I thought I'd come and speak with you myself."

The hallucination came to a stop before her. Her cold gaze wandered over Azula's pathetic frame on the ground. Its expression settles on one of disgust.

"To think you were once as great as me."

The other Azula begins to circle her, like a predator stalking its prey. Her double sighs.

"I can't believe you've let us fall this low. Look at you. You're filthy and on the brink of death. You've weakened yourself."

Azula finally finds the courage to speak. "It's not like I was trying to!" Azula tries to defend.

"That's not a viable excuse, and you know it," The girl snaps.

Azula recoils.

"You've allowed fear to cloud your judgement." She speaks in a condescending tone that makes Azula shift uncomfortably.

"It's not fear. It's… it's," Azula struggled to find a word.

"You can't deny that not drinking is probably the stupidest plan you've ever come up with."

"Don't you think I know that already?" She grumbles in annoyance.

"Yes, but if you had at least kept that waterskin, you would have had a way to collect water."

"It's days behind me. It would be futile to go back for a waterskin."

"That's not my point. My point is that we are the ones who are supposed to control fear, not let it take control of us!" The other Azula snarled. "Look at where this aquaphobia has gotten you. Never thought that you would fall victim to such a thing."

"I am afraid, alright!" Azula blurts. "Is that what you wanted to hear? For me to finally admit that I'm actually afraid of something?"

"Oh, no. I already knew. It's just even more pathetic to hear it come from you directly. I would say that you should just get over it, but…," her doppleganger trails off.

"... But it's too late for that, isn't it?" Azula finishes.

Over the course of the conversation, the dizziness in her head had worsened. Her mind felt fuzzy and her vision moved in and out of focus.

"I must cut our conversation short. I don't have much time to stick around." Her cold eyes briefly flickered towards Azula. "And it seems like you don't either." With those final words, her doppleganger departs, leaving a disturbing implication that makes Azula's stomach knot with dread.

"I've made a mistake." She softly says.

Azula buries her face in her hands, paying no attention to the dissipating hallucinations. "How could I have been so foolish? It was a bad idea. It was a bad idea. It was a bad idea…" Azula continues to mumble to herself. If she weren't so horribly dehydrated, she would be crying.

Regret isn't something she feels often, but in that moment it was all she could feel. That deep feeling of regret and fear that she has done something wrong and that she can't reverse it.

The world around her seemed to spin and distort, a feeling of weakness spreading throughout her limbs. Azula's vision blurred further. Against her wishes, she could feel her body fall to the side before her mind was forced into sudden unconsciousness.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. It was quite tricky to fit all this content into a decently sized chapter. I decided to make them kind of like short stories from each day. This one was interesting to work with, as I'm working with emotions and traits Azula usually doesn't show. Also the exciting introduction of some possible antagonists.**

** I'll see you in the next one, which I will (hopefully) get out a lot sooner than this one. No promises though.**


	8. Chapter Seven: Unexpected Detour

**Greetings readers! I hope everyone is doing well and that you're safe during these times. I've been doing well, but I've been knee deep in school work. Thank you all for waiting patiently for this new chapter.**

**Also, welcome to any new readers and followers!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Unexpected Detour**

Zuko felt at peace today. So far, the day has been a good one. They had a full night's rest and, for the first time in days, he felt like they had finally made some progress on pinning down Azula.

Not only did they come across multiple burned areas, they had managed to find yet another campsite. Though it was a miserable sight to see the burned trees and grass, it gave him a strange sense of reassurance. They were close. He could feel it.

Now it was just him, his companions, and the forest on this fine afternoon. They sat in a small circle sitting on some old logs. Overhead a few clouds passed, but nothing that indicated rain. If Zuko looked hard enough, he could see the peaks of a few mountains and the rocky ridge of one of the island's volcanoes.

They had stopped in a nice clearing for the afternoon to have some lunch and recharge before heading out again.

On one side of the clearing, their animals browsed through the foliage. Appa tore through the bushes indiscriminately, while Suresh's ostrich horse browsed the tall grass. Zipping through the trees, Momo chased some insects.

Zuko sighed contentedly as he swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. "Thanks again for the sandwich, Katara."

"Yeah! Thanks for making me this ham and cheese one," Sokka said through a mouthful.

"You're welcome." Katara replied happily. "Though, sorry yours might be a bit bland, Aang. There weren't many vegetarian options."

Aang looked up from his lunch, which was a simple 2 slices of bread overstuffed with tomatoes and lettuce. "It's okay sweetie. It's the thought that counts, and I appreciate the time you took to make it." The Avatar smiled.

Katara returned his smile with glee.

Slowly shuffling up to the waterbender was their guest soldier. Suresh stopped before Katara and gave a short bow.

"Thank you ma'am for lunch."

"You're very much welcome. Also, there's no need for formality. You can just call me Katara."

"Oh! Then thank you for lunch, Katara."

Momo came swooping down, fluttering to a hover and landing on Aang shoulder. The flying lemur tugged at the boy's shirt and chattered with nervousness.

"Hey what is it buddy?" Aang asked, giving the flying lemur a quick pat on the head. Momo's ears perked and swiveled in the direction of the trail. Aang glanced at Momo and looked in the direction the lemur was looking. "Do you hear something?"

Momo froze. His wide eyes scanned the forest and his ears honed in on a single spot. Momo screeched in alarm, catching everyone's attention in the clearing. The lemur took flight and fled into Appa's saddle.

"I think something big is coming!" Aang jumped to his feet and stood with his staff ready to strike.

Food now forgotten, the rest quickly followed his lead and swiftly rose to their feet and got into their own battle stances.

Zuko and Suresh stood with fists raised, ready to fire. Katara had her pouch of water open, ready to strike. Sokka held his boomerang above his head, ready to throw.

Zuko took steady breaths as he gazed into the forest. All was calm and quiet for a few serene moments. His ears picked up on an almost inaudible rumbling noise that was quickly growing louder by the second. The sound of snapping branches and swaying leaves echoed through the forest. The ground began to lightly rumble as whatever was in the forest drew nearer.

His heart jumps. Through the thick of trees, Zuko spots a large flash of grey and the glint of metal.

With a roar, the komodo rhino comes charging out from the trees. The rider upon it's back pulls the reins and the beast comes to a quick halt. As the dust settled and the general shock faded, Zuko recognized the rider upon the rhino's back.

"Tarrak?" Zuko asked.

Their minds clicked with realization. Quickly, they slackened their offensive stances. Hard stares were immediately replaced with worried expressions.

"Fire Lord! There's been an incident," Tarrak said, sounding deeply distressed.

Alarm bells immediately went off in Zuko's mind. "Incident? What kind of incident?"

"Xing has been injured," Tarrak began.

More movement could be heard coming from the trail. Tarrak pulled the reins and shifted his rhino off to the side. Emerging into the clearing was Raleigh on his ostrich horse and Amal with his komodo rhino. Sitting on the back of the saddle was Xing.

Xing writhed in pain, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

With a simple shift of the reins, Amal commanded the komodo rhino to gently lower itself to the ground.

"Help me get him down." Amal began to guide Xing's legs over the edge of the saddle.

The soldier gritted his teeth in pain as he slowly moved his left leg over the komodo rhino's back.

Katara gasped and rushed up to help as Xing's splinted ankle came into view.

Aang and Katara grasped onto Xing and slowly lowered him off the saddle.

Xing hissed in pain as his impact with the ground lightly bounced his injured ankle. "Agni dammit! Fuck it hurts!" Tears could be seen developing in the corners of his eyes.

"What happened?" Katara questioned as they guided him over to sit down on a nearby log.

"I've tried to readjust his ankle as best as I could without causing additional damage, but I suspect that it's either dislocated or broken," Amal explained as Katara slowly removed the bandaging from around Xing's ankle.

Zuko's eye widened as he walked up to inspect the damage. The soldier's foot was a mess of varying hues of purple. The bones in his ankle bulged from beneath the skin, making Zuko physically cringe away from the sight.

Tarrak and Raleigh dismounted their animals and came over to join the others.

"Tarrak, how did this happen?" Zuko questioned, turning to the soldier.

"We were on our way to catch up with you, Fire Lord," Tarrak began. "The trail suddenly ended so we had to guide our animals on foot. Xing was leading us because he was the one with the map. It didn't help that we were going down a steep embankment at the time, and the ground just gave way into this really deep burrow of some sort-"

"See! I told you those burrows were dangerous," Suresh suddenly cut in, pointing an accusing finger at Sokka suddenly and then throwing his arms up into the air. "I knew I was right to be concerned about them!"

"Right now isn't the time, Suresh," Tarrak said exasperated. "We have to figure out what we're going to do!"

Xing let out a whine as the splint was fully removed and Katara slowly lowered his limp ankle. Right off the bat, she could tell that this injury wasn't good. Bones shifted freely under the skin.

"I'll assess the damage and try to heal it as best as best I can. Just relax," Katara said in a reassuring voice as she uncorked her pouch and bent out the water. She let the water engulf her hands and she gently pressed her palms to the purple area of bruised skin.

Xing tensed and scrunched up his face in preparation, fully expecting to feel excruciating pain. The pain never came and instead he felt overwhelming relief as the water around Katara's hands glowed a light blue and began it's healing work.

Only a few seconds passed before Katara let out an audible gasp.

"W-what is it?" Xing asked nervously.

"It's bad. It's really bad…" Katara trailed off as her hands continued to glide up and down his skin.

Xing placed a stressed hand on his forehead. "Oh Agni. It's broken, isn't it?"

"There's a really large fracture." Katara swallowed nervously. "The tendons are also torn."

"A fracture? But how is that!? He didn't land on it hard enough to break!" Raleigh's eyes widened in surprise and he took to nervously stroking his short beard.

"It could have been from how badly he ended up rolling his ankle," Katara guessed. "You said you were on a hill, too. So with the uneven ground, he could have easily rolled it much worse than if his foot had simply been caught in a hole."

"You can heal it, right?" Xing gave her a pleading look.

Katara opened her mouth to answer, but Sokka cut her off with an enthusiastic, "Of course she can!" Katara flinched from Sokka's sudden intrusion. He quickly leaned in and whispered to his sister, "Can you?"

"Sokka, I-I don't know how to heal bones!" Katara stammered in a panic. "I've never done it before. Even if I tried, the bones might set in the wrong position."

"Can you at least try to heal it? Please," Xing pleaded.

Katara hesitated and bit her lower lip nervously. Ultimately it was Xing's desperate look that made her cave in. She didn't want anything to go wrong with this. Katara swallowed. "I can try to ease the pain a bit and heal up some of the bruised tissue, but I'm really unsure about the bone. That will have to heal on its own."

_'Broken!_' Zuko gasped, his good eye widening. The news was not unexpected, but he had been hoping that the injury would not be as severe. Now he had an injured soldier under his watch.

He had been planning to keep the soldier; expecting Xing's injury to be a simple sprain or dislocation. Those, Katara could heal over a short period of time and they would have been able to keep Xing with them, but with this new revelation it would be inhumane to force Xing to stay with them.

Quite honestly, he didn't have to ponder long on what to do with Xing. Zuko already knew he had made up his mind as soon as Katara had announced her findings.

"Xing," The soldier looked up at Zuko, a glint in his eye giving away that he already knew what was coming. Zuko's voice was laced with regret as he spoke, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to dismiss you from this mission."

The soldier gave him an understanding look and sighed, "I expected as much."

"I was afraid it would have come to this," Tarrak said. He turned to retrieve a rolled up piece of paper from the side pocket of his komodo rhino. "We've already scoped out a place on the map to drop him off, Fire Lord."

Tarrak made his way back to Zuko's side and handed the scroll to him. Zuko opened it and observed the circled area on the map.

"There's an outpost at The Gates of Azulon. It'll have the proper physicians and medical equipment to treat Xing."

"Then we'll head there immediately." Zuko gave an approving nod. He handed the map back to Tarrak and turned to call for his friend. "Aang, can you prepare Appa?"

"Already on it!" Aang quickly glided onto Appa and guided him over to the group. The bison kneeled down to allow for an easier way up.

"Amal, can you redo the splint?" Katara asked as she removed her hands from around Xing's ankle and let the spent water fall to the grass.

"Sure thing, ma'am." Amal quickly fetched some new bandages from one of the side pockets on his komodo rhino before jogging up and kneeling down beside Katara.

Zuko made his way to Appa's saddle. Xing would need some help being lifted in. He leapt up to grasp onto the edge of the saddle and was about to hoist himself up when Tarrak's voice came from behind him.

"Fire Lord?"

Zuko peered over his shoulder and slowly let himself back down. He turned to face the soldier. "Yes, Tarrak?"

"If I may, I would like to request to come with you. It seems only appropriate for the leader of his team to see one of his soldiers off," Tarrak said in a somber voice.

"Of course!" Zuko answered. He wouldn't ever deny such a thing. Though he had to make sure there was enough room on Appa first. "Hey Aang, who's all coming with us?"

The Avatar looked up from his spot on Appa's head. "Pretty sure it's you, me, Sokka, Katara, and Xing."

The saddle was already pretty full, but Zuko was hoping there might be enough room for one more. "You wouldn't mind if Tarrak comes with us too, would you?"

"Oh, not at all!" The Avatar reached down to stroke Appa's forehead. "You can handle all these people, right buddy?" The flying bison let out a low groan, making Aang smile.

"Thank you, Avatar, Fire Lord" Tarrak gave both a small nod before he reached up and hoisted himself into Appa's saddle.

Zuko's eyes swept over the people in the clearing. Sokka, Katara, and Amal were helping Xing get onto his one good leg. Raleigh and Suresh were talking among themselves in the background.

_'I suppose I should get ready to help Xing into the saddle,'_ Zuko thought to himself.

He turned and grasped the edge of the saddle before swinging himself in. Tarrak and Zuko positioned themselves on the edge, waiting patiently as Amal and Sokka assisted Xing in limping up to Appa. They stopped before the large bison and stood on each side of Xing, firmly grasping his hips in preparation to lift him up. Zuko held his arms out, ready to grab a hold of Xing.

"Okay. Ready?" Sokka asked. "Three. Two. One!" They quickly lifted Xing into the air, launching him lightly.

Tarrak and Zuko quickly grabbed a firm grip on each of Xing's arms and began to carefully hoist him upwards into the saddle while Sokka and Amal carefully raised Xing, holding onto the back of his calves.

Xing gritted his teeth in discomfort and let out a grunt as he finally took a seat on the edge of the saddle.

Tarrak kept Xing stable as Zuko leaned down to grab Xing's legs and carefully move them into the saddle. Tarrak slowly scooted the injured man off the edge and down into a comfortable sitting position.

Katara and Sokka lifted themselves into the saddle and sat in what free spots there were in the now crowded area. They seemed just about ready to head to the Gates of Azulon. Zuko's eyes scanned the ground below. _'But there is one thing left to address…'_

The three soldiers they were about to leave behind stood silently in the clearing, their eyes watching the Fire Lord. Zuko couldn't just leave his men in the middle of a forest without orders.

"Raleigh, Amal, and Suresh." They seemed to expect this and gave him their full attention. "I want you three to continue following the trail for as long as you can."

"Wait. Fire Lord, sir. What should we do with the extra komodo rhino and ostrich horse?" Raleigh jutted his thumb at the two animals which would have no riders.

"Look after them for now and continue following the trail. Once we've dropped off Xing and figured out where to go from there, I'll send you a messenger hawk."

"Yes, sir," They responded. The three men bowed and turned back to what they were doing. Amal lifted himself onto his ostrich horse and Raleigh and Suresh walked over to the now rider-less animals and guided them over to their own mounts to get them ready for travel.

Now that Zuko thought about it, once they're able to meet up again with the full search and rescue team, they're going to have one extra animal with them; Xing's ostrich horse. He'll have to find a place to drop the animal off and organize a way to transport it back to the capital.

"Are we ready to go?" Aang looked back at his friends, reins ready in his hands. Zuko gave the Avatar a nod and the boy flicked the reins. "Yip, yip!"

The bison bellowed as it rose to its feet, lifted its massive tail, and with one powerful flick, the bison lifted off of the ground and climbed into the sky.

The Gaang were used to taking off and flying with Appa. It was a common use of transportation for them, and Zuko had to quickly learn to get used to it. Their guests on the other hand were hanging onto the saddle for dear life, eyes wide and faces full of shock as they pressed their torsos as close to the bottom of the saddle as possible to avoid falling out.

Sokka must've noticed their fear-filled expressions, for he asked the two, "First time flying?" To which the two soldiers quickly responded with jerking head nods.

The bison's steep and swift climb into the sky slowly began to plateau into a flat, smooth flight much to the relief of their terrified passengers. They slowly untensed and let go of breaths they had been holding.

"Oops. Sorry guys. I forgot you've never been on a sky bison before." Aang said apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck.

Zuko found his eyes drifting towards Xing again. His gaze slowly trailed to his bandaged ankle. The man cringed and gritted his teeth every time the bison made a sudden movement. Perhaps he should have asked Aang to make Appa take off a little less roughly.

"Once again, I'm really sorry, Xing. I'll be sure to pay for your medical treatment and your paycheck will come in shortly." Zuko couldn't help but feel remorseful, as if this had somehow been his fault. He felt partially responsible. After all, the soldier had been under his orders when he was injured. He felt obligated to at least pay for the man's recovery.

"It's okay, Fire Lord Zuko." Xing's eyes were tired and dim. He had already accepted what had happened. "It was just an unfortunate accident. I am honored that it was my expertise you had sought out for this important mission. Also, I am grateful for your offer to pay for my recovery."

"Here, I'll continue healing it while we travel." Katara edged her way across the saddle and sat before Xing, bending the water out of her pounce once more.

Zuko turned to stare down at the forest. The trail they had been following was invisible beneath the thick canopy of trees. He was about to abandon his only solid evidence and hope of catching Azula.

Zuko shook his head. '_No. I'm not abandoning it,'_ He had to remind himself. He had soldiers on the trail to continue following it. It was their job after all.

Even though he had left the trail, Azula was close enough where they could pick up where they last left off without too much fear of losing her again. The thought gave him some reassurance.

Zuko turned back around and made himself comfortable. It would be a little while until they reached the Gates of Azulon. He would need his rest for the upcoming encounter… and medical paperwork.

The thought of paperwork made him groan. He was not looking forward to it.

* * *

All she can hear is a loud thumping in her head. With every pulse, it aggravates the already raging headache that torments her exhausted mind.

_**Thump**_

Sensations come to her. Azula can feel that she is laid upon something soft. She can't immediately recall what had happened, but she knows for sure that she had landed on hard ground.

_**Thump**_

"Shh, It's okay." She registers a voice through the fogginess of her mind. It sounds distant, yet so close. "Shh. Just go to sleep." The woman's voice goes again.

Azula isn't sure if the voice is talking to her. Either way, she doesn't want to go back to sleep. She flexes her fingers and lightly shifts her arm.

_**Thump**_

"Hello? Are you awake?" The woman's voice goes again, probably noticing her movement. Her voice sounds fuller and clearer. Azula feels soft fingers lightly brush over the fabric on her arm.

_**Thump**_

Azula opens her heavy eyelids. She is greeted by the sight of a white canopy above her, the room shrouded in shadow. Her mind races with confusion.

'_Where am I? What happened?' _Azula cannot recall how she got here. She was in the forest, was she not? How did she get here?

"Oh! You are awake."

Azula looks over to see a woman, probably in her late 20's, sitting beside the makeshift bed that Azula was laying on. Her eyes are a chocolate brown that matches her hair and the woman is dressed in rather plain red cloth, which gives Azula all the information that she needs to conclude that the woman is likely a non-bending commoner of the Fire Nation. In her arms the woman holds a baby, of whom she is slightly rocking. The baby's features are soft and delicate, with eyes gently closed; indicators that it is fast asleep.

"Where- what…," Azula stumbles over her words, unsure of what to ask or where to even start. Her throat feels so dry and her voice sounds gravelly and hoarse as if she were sick.

The woman must have already looked her over while she had been blacked out, for she expressed extreme concern. "Oh dear… Your skin is so terribly dry; your lips are so cracked. Now your voice… It's just as I suspected. You must be severely dehydrated."

The woman got up from her seated position beside Azula and carried her baby over to a small wooden cradle across the small space, gently placing her child down onto the soft bedding. She then reached over to pick up a waterskin before making her way to the end of the room and poking her head out between the flaps of the canopy.

"Hun, she's awake. Can you fetch some water for her? Thanks," the woman spoke to someone out of Azula's view. She held the waterskin out for someone to grab.

"Sure thing," Azula could hear a muffled man's voice. She looked towards the back of the wagon and saw whom Azula assumed was the woman's husband take the waterskin from her hands and walk off.

Azula pushed off a blanket that had been placed upon her and sat up from the makeshift bed she had been laying on. She must have risen a bit too quickly as her vision faded out and a sudden wave of vertigo hit her. She closed her eyes and had to take a few seconds to let her body adjust to the new position. Azula groaned in annoyance and rubbed her eyes before slowly opening them.

The room in which she was in was surprisingly small. There was the white canopy above her, supported by carved wooden poles with flooring made out of sanded wooden boards. The space was cluttered with boxes of clothing and other household items. She could spot kitchen equipment stored in one corner and next to it was a small bed. This was way too small to be any tent, and contained too many valuable items.

By now the woman had turned around and returned to Azula's side, ready for any questions Azula may ask. The woman gave her a caring smile as Azula finally turned her attention to her.

"Where am I?" Azula asked in a demanding voice that seemed to take the woman a little off guard. She didn't speak with the stuttering confused manner that she had before, though her hoarse voice didn't give off the tone of intimidation that she had intended.

"I am Mizu and my husband is Shiro. You are in our wagon. I hope you do not mind. My husband and I were heading on our way to Phoenix City and we found you in the middle of the trail. We had to take you a bit up the trail to find a stream."

'_That explains the small living space,'_ Azula thought.

Azula opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it before the question could slip from her lips. There would be no point in asking Mizu what had happened. She wouldn't know anyway. It wasn't like the woman was there to witness her before she had blacked out.

Instead she played off her confusion by trying to find something to talk about. She looked around the cabin when she suddenly noticed that she was missing something important. Something that she had carried with her the entire trip.

"Where is my bag?" She turned her head to stare at Mizu.

"There's no need to worry. Your bag is right here." Mizu tried to reassure her. Hearing the dangerous edge in Azula's voice, Mizu was quick to turn around and pick up the bag from her other side. She placed the bag in front of Azula.

Azula snatched it from the floor and opened the flap to her bag. Even on first glance, it was immediately noticeable that the contents of the bag had been moved.

"I assumed you wouldn't be staying long," Mizu explained. "I've already packed you some extra food for your travels and tidied up your stuff."

Azula was immediately suspicious.

'_Did she take anything?' _Azula gave the woman a glare. She doesn't appreciate people doing things with her property without permission.

Azula's glare, still piercing as ever, made Mizu shudder slightly. Her caring demeanor faltered and a slightly worried expression coming to the woman's face. "Don't worry. I didn't take anything, I promise."

Azula searched the woman's face for any sign that she had been lying. Though her facial cues indicated that Mizu was indeed telling the truth, paranoia made her go through with her own search anyway. As she should have expected, everything she had was still there, including a new sack of food placed there by Mizu.

With her worries eased, Azula placed the bag off to the side and the wagon lapsed into silence. She looked around the room once more. There was nothing else to do but sit and wait until Mizu's husband returned.

Before an awkward feeling could sink in, the sound of crunching dirt came from outside and the woman turned her attention to the canopy opening. Mizu got up from her spot beside Azula to meet with her husband at the end of the wagon.

"Here you go, hun." Her husband - Shiro - gave Mizu a warm smile and handed her the waterskin.

"Oh, thank you." The woman took the now full waterskin from her husband. "Before you go…," She reached over and lifted a wooden pail up by the handle. "Here, would you please fill this for me?"

"Sure thing." Shiro took the pail from his wife's hand and walked off once more.

Mizu turned and revealed the waterskin. The waterskin was completely full and plump with liquid. The sides were slick with water and large droplets fell to the wooden floor.

Time seemed to slow as Mizu drew closer. Every sensation in Azula's body seemed to multiply tenfold: her sense of where she was, her confusion, her painfully dry throat, the irresistible instinct to drink, and the absolute terror of coming in contact with water again.

Her emotions seemed to fluctuate. Azula's heart raced with adrenaline, but despite her fear she also couldn't help but gaze hungrily at the waterskin.

'_You need to drink- No! The water. Don't touch it- You'll die without the water- They'll find out. You'll blow your cover- You've made yourself weak without the water- Don't risk it!- You can overcome this…' _Her thoughts raged on. Before she could come up with a decision, Azula was thrust from her thoughts as the wet waterskin was pushed towards her face.

"Here you go dear. You must be so parched." Mizu smiled warmly at her.

Azula pulled back, startled by the sudden movement. She could only gape at the waterskin. She scooted herself further back as Mizu pushed the waterskin towards her.

"Uhhm - Can you dry it off first." Azula quickly said as soon as she had recovered from the shock. Much to her annoyance, she could not keep the tone of fear from her voice.

The wet waterskin was right above her; in the perfect spot to be poured upon her. A few droplets of water fell onto the blanket covering her legs, making small moist spots on the rough fabric.

Mizu gave her a confused look. "Uh... Sure. I could do that, dear." Despite the odd request, she turned around and began to look throughout the wagon for a spare rag.

As soon as Mizu had her back turned, Azula quickly and quietly shoved the blanket off of her.

Mizu grabbed a rag and wrapped it around the waterskin, dabbing it down until most of the water had been removed. Once she was satisfied, Mizu turned back around and presented the waterskin to Azula. "Is this dry enough?"

"Yes. It is." Azula nodded with approval and reached out. She hesitated before she could grab the neck of the waterskin. "I'll take the rag with it."

The waterskin enters Azula's grasp. Her hands tremble with fear. She couldn't help but feel nervous. It's the closest she's been to water in days, and the first water she's going to be drinking since that fateful morning. Instincts drive her onwards and - almost automatically - she uncorks the top and lifts the opening of the waterskin towards her mouth. Azula takes a careful sip of water.

The cool liquid slides down her extremely parched throat and the experience following could almost be described as euphoric. Any fear she had felt before was overridden by overwhelming instinct. There was no holding back the irresistible urge to quench her thirst.

Mindful of causing any spillage, what started out as a sip turned into desperate gulps. It was like every gulp of water was giving her renewed energy. The unbearable dryness in her throat was gone in an instant. Glup after gulp of water slides down her throat. What was probably a few minutes felt like a couple seconds as the waterskin was close to empty. She gradually slowed her drinking until she was fully satisfied. Azula gave a contented sigh and wiped her mouth dry, just in case any water had happened to slip out.

The longer Azula sat in contented silence, the more she began to realize something. She was still normal. Nothing had happened. That tingling sensation didn't occur, nor did the odd bubbles that appear right before her transformation. Drinking water had done nothing to her. Azula blinks, dumbfounded.

Azula can practically feel the rage beginning to boil within her. She had tortured herself for five days, avoiding drinking and pushing herself to the brink of death all because she didn't want to transform again.

Now she felt outraged. She had nearly killed herself all because of the irrationality caused by fear. This could have easily been prevented if she had not let fear control her! She wouldn't be in this wagon right now, weak and vulnerable, accepting help from peasants, risking having her mermaid secret exposed, and risking being reported to the nearest outpost. This is why she used fear to control others. Fear was not supposed to control her!

"Dear, do you mind me asking what happened?" Azula was pulled from her thoughts by Mizu's soft voice. She looked up at the woman. Mizu added a bit more respectfully, "That is, if you can recall what happened."

What did happen? Azula wracks her mind for answers, but all she could remember was kneeling before a sign in the forest. Everything after that was fuzzy. It was just hours ago. It shouldn't be that hard to remember. Azula had her own questions about herself to find answers for. If she didn't even know the answer, it wasn't the peasant's place to even ask.

"As a matter of fact, I do mind you asking what happened and it is none of your concern," Her voice no longer sounded as gravely, so Mizu heard the full force of Azula's ice cold tone. Azula took a nonchalant drink of water before recorking the waterskin.

"M-my apologies," Mizu stuttered nervously. Azula smirked slightly. Despite the woman's obvious nervousness, she tried her best to keep a gentle smile on her face. "I guess it would be best that I start with something simpler instead of jumping into big questions. What is your name?"

Azula's smirk turned into a sneer. Mizu was really getting on her nerves. First, she began treating her with motherly care as if she were a child and now she was beginning to talk to her as if she were a child. Either way, she did not want a stranger prodding into her personal life. She never allowed any one, except for a select few, into her personal life.

'_And look where that got you.'_ Though they were her own thoughts, Azula had to bite back a reply. Her mood soured further.

"I have already said that it is none of your concern," Azula snapped. Mizu pulled back with fright. "I thought it would have been obvious that it extended to personal questions as well."

The smile on Mizu's face completely fell and the woman awkwardly looked away, looking everywhere but in Azula's direction. The wagon lapsed into tense silence.

"Hun, I've brought the water you wanted," Shiro called his wife from outside. Mizu's face flickered with relief and she quickly turned away from Azula to meet her husband.

"What took you?" Mizu asked him, sounding more desperate than curious.

"Hehe. Sorry it took me a while," Shiro rubbed the back of his neck apologetically. "I accidentally dropped the bucket. The incline down to the creek is pretty steep."

He handed the full bucket up to his wife and she placed it on the wooden floor of the cabin beside her.

"It's fine. Thanks for fetching the water, but…," Mizu leaned in and spoke to him in a hushed voice, no doubt talking about Azula.

"Oh. Alright." The man's golden eyes briefly flickered towards Azula. "If you need me, I'll be tending to the ostrich horse. No need to worry, hun." He gently grasped Mizu's hand and gave her a soft, reassuring kiss before turning away and walking to the front of the wagon.

Mizu picked up the pail full of water and brought it towards Azula.

Azula eyed the bucket full of water, gulping nervously. Her heart began to pound once more and her muscles tensed. What was the bucket for? She understood why the woman would ask her husband to fetch Azula water, but a whole bucket full of water?

"Would you prefer we stay in here or would you like to head outside?" Mizu asked her, placing the bucket off to the side and kneeling much closer to Azula than where she had been before.

She wasn't sure as to what the woman was asking of her. So instead of answering, Azula opted to stay quiet.

"I… suppose we can stay in here," Mizu said awkwardly. The woman sat beside Azula for a second, observing the young girl in front of her.

"You must have been out there a while without a bath. How long were you out there?" Mizu said as casually as she could and turned to search for something within the wagon.

Azula narrowed her eyes, now feeling a bit self conscious about the state of her hygiene. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just concerned. Your clothes are all dusty and your skin is covered in a layer of dirt," Mizu carefully said. She quickly added, "No offence."

Mizu turned back around with another rag. She dunked it into the pail of water and waited until it was completely soaked before wringing out the rag. Azula's stomach dropped with dread as she was hit with a sudden realization.

"What are you doing?!" Azula could now hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"Let's get you cleaned up." Mizu lifted the wet rag towards her. The rag leaked water, large droplets falling onto the wooden floor just inches away from Azula.

A jolt of terror went through Azula's body and her breathing quickened. Azula leaned backwards as Mizu continued to advance. The rag was mere inches from her forehead. "Wait! Don't-!"

She was going to get found out. She was going to be exposed. She was going to transform again.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Azula roared out and sent a swipe of fire at the woman.

The cabin was suddenly filled with a bright blue glow and the woman screamed out in terror as the fire licked her skin. The rag was blasted from her hands, safely away from Azula. Mizu recoiled and moved away from Azula, terrified. The baby that had once been soundly sleeping in its crib was now wailing with terror, awoken by the sudden loud noises.

In an instant Azula had leapt from the makeshift bed and was on her feet. She swiftly leapt from the back of the wagon into the open and turned to face what was soon to be the consequences of her sudden attack. She shifted into a fighting stance.

"What's going on! What happened!?" Shiro called from the front of the wagon, alarmed by the sudden screams. He hurriedly made his way towards the back.

Mizu wasn't too far behind Azula in exiting the wagon. The woman looked at Azula fearfully as she dropped from the back of the wagon with her baby in her arms.

"Shiro! H-help!" Mizu cried out fearfully.

"Hey! Get away from my wife!" Shiro shouted angrily, standing protectively in front of his wife and wailing baby. "What happened!?"

"S-she attacked me," Mizu sobbed. "Why would you do that?! You should be grateful that we even helped you!" Mizu shouted at Azula.

"After all we've done for you! After all my wife did for you! You have the audacity to attack my wife!" Shiro shouted at her with rage. He summoned orange fire to his palms. It didn't come as much as a surprise to her when he turned out to be a firebender. His golden eyes had been a dead giveaway.

Azula scoffed. If it was a fight he wanted, then it was a fight he would get. "I will do as I please, peasant! I did not ask for your help. Nor did I need or want it!"

Azula charged forwards and in retaliation the man charged at her. Blast after blast he shot at her, his untimed and unorganized strikes missing every shot. It only went on for a couple moments before he started to breath heavily. She hadn't even bent at him and she was already wearing him down by only dodging. Perhaps his skills would have been useful in defending against common thugs, but not firebending masters.

So when she finally summoned her own flames, the fight was over in less than a couple seconds. As Azula struck, she could see the horror in his face; the way her blue fire reflected in his terror filled eyes.

A well-aimed, precise blast to the chest sent him skidding backwards. Mizu screamed in horror as her husband came to a sudden halt before her feet.

Shiro painfully pushed himself up and let out a cry of pain. A small hole in his chest was smoking and the surrounding fabric had burned off, revealing angry-looking seared flesh. Both adults stared at the menacing figure standing before them.

Blue flames flickered in Azula's palms threateningly. Her eyes were ice cold, yet filled with a burning rage.

Azula took a threatening step forward. Shiro's face widened with terror and Mizu took a fearful step backwards, tightening her grasp on her wailing baby.

"T-take whatever you want; everything we have of value! D-do whatever you please! But p-please, just don't hurt my wife or child! Just don't hurt my family," Shiro begged. He seemed to be more afraid of her skill and fire than he was about her. Neither of them seemed to recognize her, which was a bit of a surprise.

Azula couldn't help but smirk. This is why she used fear to control people. These peasants were now kneeled before her, begging her for their lives. She was ashamed that she had let her own fear control her like she was controlling these people now.

There was a problem though. Her cover had now been blown. They would no doubt report her to the authorities.

It was once again a battle of her morals. Let them go and risk getting caught or kill them and stave off the authorities for a while. But once again, the point came up: if their bodies were found, she would no doubt be executed for it. Not only that, but she was not so mentally disturbed as to kill off an entire family. She wasn't completely heartless. They had a child with them.

The decision was much easier to make this time. Azula would let them live. They should know better than to automatically trust everyone they meet. Not everyone would have spared their lives. Though she wouldn't mind taking Shiro up on his offer.

Azula began to walk towards the family. The blue flames in her palms ceased; a sign that she had no more intentions to hurt them. The parents trembled as she walked past them.

"Out of my way, peasants." Azula spat and jumped into the back of the wagon.

She wasn't going to pass up such an opportunity to gain free supplies. Azula began to search through the cabin. First of all, she picked up her bag; the one that still contained her old clothing, sleeping mat, and now new food stock.

She picked up the nearly empty waterskin and tied it to the side of her bag. Now that she had figured out that she was able to drink water, she wasn't going to let herself fall back into such a pitiful and vulnerable state again.

On the other side of the cabin, Azula began to rummage through a pile of clothing. She was after something specific. It didn't matter if it was a cloak, hood, or piece of cloth. If it could cover her face, it'll significantly reduce her chances of being seen, recognized, and caught. Azula was nearly concluded with her quick search when her eyes laid upon the flowing maroon fabric. Pulling it from the pile revealed the cloak further. It had a large flowing cape that reached to her lower calves, a hood to cover her head, and a large collar that could be lifted and adjusted to be used as a face mask.

Azula tucked the cloak under her arm and began to search the smaller crevices of the wagon. Despite her keen eye, she couldn't find any sign of any money. She even searched the most unlikely spots. Though they were peasants, they had to have some sort of money with them. So she concluded that if there was no money within the wagon, one of the peasants must be carrying it on them.

Azula made sure she was finished within the wagon before jumping out of the back once more. Mizu and Shiro had barely moved, only mere meters away from where she had last seen them. It was a surprise. She had expected them to have left by now, but seeing as the wagon contained all of their possessions, they couldn't exactly just leave it all behind.

Azula stormed up to Mizu and Shiro. The woman quickly backed up as Azula approached. The man could only cower before Azula and look up at her fearfully. She stood before the injured man, letting a few seconds drag on. The man was tensed with anticipation, fearing what was to come.

"Give me your money. Now," Azula demanded suddenly, watching as the downed man flinched. Shiro could only whimper painfully as he reached into his pants pocket and removed a sack of coins. Azula snatched it from his hand and quickly stashed it away in her bag.

She was done here. There was nothing else for her here. It was time to go. Azula turned and made her way into the middle of the path. She paused.

'_Where am I going to go now?'_

The woman had mentioned that they had been heading towards Phoenix City; the exact location she was going to - no - the location she HAD been going to. Even with Azula's intervention, it was not going to prevent the family from continuing on their way to their destination. Afterall, she had chosen to spare the family. With that decision, it was inevitable that they would eventually report her to the nearest outpost: The Gates of Azulon.

Continuing with her plans now of going to Phoenix City was a large risk. If she were reported, It would not only give her location away and make her path predictable, but it would most likely expose her plans to usurp the throne. Not to mention that The Gates of Azulon were one of the largest and heavily fortified outposts on the main island. She'd have to be on guard 24/7 or else she'd be captured and returned to the asylum. She did not want to return to that Agni-forbidden nuthouse.

Azula clenched her teeth in frustration. She had been planning this for weeks! Everything had been intricately planned to make her path unpredictable and unassuming. Reaching The Gates of Azulon would have been one of the largest milestones in her travels. She had risked her life to make it this far. But nooo! This whole mermaid curse had to just be placed upon her to throw all sorts of problems into her plans. Now once again, another plan of hers had been immediately burned to ash.

Azula turned and took a few seconds to regard the family and their wagon. Mizu had said they were going to Phoenix City and that they had to bring her down the path a bit. If their wagon was pointing towards the way they were going, then she had to go in the opposite direction.

Throwing her bag over her shoulders and tucking the cloak under her arm, Azula turned and began to walk up the path. Behind her she could hear Mizu crying lightly to her husband and while he groaned in pain. The baby's wails were beginning to fade. She had already made it quite a ways up the trail when a thought came to her. She ceased in her walking.

Though it was inevitable that she would be reported, it did not mean that she couldn't stall them.

Azula turned back around. She took a slow, steady breath to calm herself and shifted into one of her stances. Bringing both of her hands together, she summoned up her chi. Her arms began to go through the familiar circular motions she had practiced thousands of times to master. Separating negative energy from positive energy, she could feel the static building in her fingertips and sparks began to fly.

In an incredible show of power, Azula brought her hands together and thrust her arm forwards. The lightning let out a deafening crack as the shot soared through the air towards its target.

The wooden wheel of the wagon exploded into splinters and firey sawdust. The couple cried out in fear and their child began to wail once more. The ostrich horse that had been pulling their carriage let out a cry of alarm from the sudden explosion. Thunder reverberated through the forest.

In only a few seconds, it was over and Azula was back to walking down the trail.

Now she was done.

**...**

Time drug on and Azula found herself further and further up the trail. Exactly how far she had been brought down the trail was never specified by the peasants, but she must have been taken down quite a ways. The most she could do now was continue walking to put as much distance between her and The Gates of Azulon.

Any previous symptoms and indications that Azula had been dehydrated were nearly gone. Her throat was no longer uncomfortably dry and her voice sounded much clearer. The heavy feeling of exhaustion that had plagued her body, which seemed to have been caused by her dehydration, was completely gone. The pounding headache and dizziness that had tortured her head had suddenly ceased. The only thing that had yet to recover was her dry skin, but with enough water and time she would be looking flawless again in no time.

Another undisturbed 10 minutes of walking went by. The cloak she had stolen flapped lightly in the breeze. Though the cloak was a bit too warm for the weather, the hood and mask covering her face made her feel much more comfortable walking along the trail. If anyone were to pass her on the trail, they would never recognize her. That's what Azula liked about a cloak. She could head into a town and leave, all without being recognized. The pros outweigh the cons, so being slightly warm was something she could put up with.

From beneath the hood, her sharp eyes spotted a familiar structure sitting motionless in the middle of forest ahead of her. The closer she got, the more comprehensible the words on the signs became. Azula slowly made her way into the middle of the four converging trails and stood before the looming sign.

Azula looked up at the four indicating arrows on the sign. The one labeled "Phoenix City" was pointing west towards the way she had just come from and another arrow labeled "Xin Tai" was pointing south towards the trail she had just spent 4 days traveling on.

The other two were unfamiliar to her. An arrow labeled "Koi Pond Village" pointed north, while another arrow labeled "Tsulko" pointed east.

She eyed each sign carefully. Obviously she wasn't going to pick the trail to Phoenix City or the trail to Xin Tai. She had just come from both of those. That left the trail to Koi Pond Village and the trail to Tsulko.

Which one to choose?

Well, since she had no reason to go to the other towns, she had not read up on them. The towns could be as close a couple hours to a couple days of walking away.

Azula weighed her options.

Between Koi Pond Village and Tsulko, going to Tsulko would probably be her best bet, seeing as it was in the complete opposite direction of Phoenix City. Going to Tsulko would put distance between her and The Gates of Azulon. Koi Pond Village on the other hand, based on the word "village", was probably small, thus making it easier to search for her. Plus with a name like "Koi Pond Village", it probably wouldn't be the best place to be, considering her whole "touch water and turn into a mermaid" ordeal.

It was decided. She would go to Tsulko, once again throwing her off her planned course.

"Oh well. Just one of the things I have to deal with while being on the run," Azula rolled her eyes in frustration.

Direction chosen, Azula began walking up the trail that would take her to Tsulko.

Now she was alone once more, with only her thoughts and the quiet forest. With only her imagination to keep her from boredom, Azula subconsciously twirled one of her bangs around her finger and tugged at it as she lapsed into thought.

At the back of her mind, an unanswered question lingered.

She was once again brought back to her question. '_What happened?'_

Her mind races with confusion. It was such a simple question, yet the answers did not come easy.

What she can most definitely remember was that she had been walking down the trail in the early morning… then she came to the intersection and the sign… then she had… fallen down, and then… It's what happens afterwards that everything starts to break down.

Azula shook her head as if that would shake the fog that clouded her memories. She was determined to remember and she would not be deterred. She needed answers.

Azula scans her memories for answers as she walks, finely combing through the events moments before everything goes fuzzy. Scenes began to slowly form.

Memories clicked into place, like puzzle pieces being put together. Mother had been there, had she not...?

Like that, everything hit her like a rock to the stomach.

Azula ceased in her walking as her breath caught in her throat.

Azula remembers sitting in the dirt kneeling before someone that looked like… herself. It was like she had been looking in a mirror. The girl looking back at her had the same face and hair style, appearance completed with her black leather and gold trimmed royal armor. The girl had even spoken in her voice. It was her, but there was no possible way that it could have been _her. _Though the interaction had been hours ago, she couldn't help but feel disturbed.

Whatever- whomever it was she saw, it was not her. It could not be her. Azula refused it to be.

Azula fell back off the trail and leaned her back against a tree. She placed a hand over her hyperventilating chest while the other picked at the bark of the tree nervously.

"I need to calm down" She whispered to herself. "I just need to take a second to think things over."

She's heard stories before of people who got lost in the Wong Shi Tong Desert and how after extended periods of time without water, people would begin to experience hallucinations brought on by the lack of water in the body. As much as Azula hated to admit it, it had to be a hallucination.

The thought that she could even experience hallucinations made Azula's skin prickle uncomfortably. The staff at the institution always mentioned that she experienced "hallucinations".

But that could not be true.

She was not "sick" or "mentally ill", nor was she "schizophrenic" or "insane". She felt disgusted to even be labeled with such derogatory terms. It was her mother who had turned her own mind against her. They might call her all these things, but she was probably more sane than most of the staff at the institution.

There were countless times where the doctors would talk to her and try to convince her that her mother was not real.

She had always argued that her mother was real. There was no possible way that her mother, whom she had been speaking with for months, was a hallucination. Ursa had been following her ever since her coronation. She had spoken with her for months upon months. Azula even came face to face with her mother a few weeks ago and Ursa was still following her. She even placed this mermaid curse on her.

Even so, Azula was not blind. She saw the way her mother would disappear and reappear, how Ursa could hide within mirrors and reflections and be completely unharmed when Azula shot her fire at her.

Azula had made up her own theories months prior. Her mother was a spiritual projection showing up wherever, whenever, and however she wanted to. It was how Ursa was able to haunt her dreams. It was how Ursa could appear on the surface of reflective materials that would otherwise be impossible. It's why Ursa always had her old face when she appeared to her. Because her mother was reflecting her spirit; her true self.

On the other hand, that hallucination of herself was just that: a hallucination. She had never seen it before, there was no explanation behind it, and she only happened to see it in a moment of extreme dehydration.

Azula closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

While not entirely satisfied with her conclusion, Azula had to accept that her doppleganger had been nothing more than a hallucination brought on by her extreme dehydration. The answer had no comfort behind it and maybe she would have been better off not knowing the answer, but as they say: "Curiosity killed the owl cat."

Mystery solved, she supposed. Now it was time to continue.

With feelings and thoughts still fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but still feel uncomfortable. It wasn't going to be easy to push these feelings away, but there was no time for stopping now. She could ponder over it on her way to Tsulko.

She let her hand drop from her chest now that her breathing had calmed. Opening her eyes, she pushed off of the trunk of the tree and made her way back into the trail, continuing her walk towards Tsulko.

* * *

**Definitely one of the longer chapters, but I hope the length makes up for the wait.**

**This time, both siblings have been thrown off course thanks to unforeseen events: Zuko's been put off course because of the injury of one of the soldiers under his command, and Azula now has to flee in the opposite direction thanks to another sudden action spurred by her irrationality.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you in the next one!**


	9. Chapter Eight: Nightly Woes

**New chapter? Impossible! **

**Finally getting a new one out. Look at that, almost 4 months. New highscore on longest time without posting. Not the best of highscores to get, but a highscore nonetheless. Real life stuff has been getting in the way. Also maybe a tiny bit distracted by video games hehe.**

**Anyways, welcome to the new followers that I've gained over the past few months and hello again returning readers! I hope you all enjoy this next one. **

**Happy reading!**

* * *

**[Chapter Eight: Nightly Woes]**

"Yip, yip!"

Zuko's body jerked backwards as the sky bison following Aang's command slammed his gigantic tail down and thrust the group upon his back skywards.

Zuko looked out at the ocean that they were steadily leaving behind them. The warm, orange light of the setting sun reflected off the ocean waves, making the water look like a sea of fiery sparks. Wind whipped around them as Appa climbed into the air, the coastal updrafts bringing with them the scent of salty ocean water.

Below them, the courtyard of the outpost was becoming smaller by the second. Crowds of guards and soldiers that had been gathered to see them off began to disperse and return to their duties. Behind the building, the enormous gate for which the outpost was named after stretched for miles out into sea until it disappeared below the horizon. Even miles out onto the ocean, he could still see the small silhouette of the gigantic statue of his passed grandfather, Azulon.

Gradually Appa's steep ascent into the sky began to level out as the giant sky bison reached a cruising altitude that he was content with.

Thinking of Azulon's name subsequently made him think of Azula. The thought brought up memories from his youth from a time when his life had arguably spiraled downwards, and in the end had changed his life for the better.

The night his mother had disappeared and everything fell apart.

It had started with Azula entering his room. At the time, Zuko had thought that Azula was playing some sick joke on him by telling him that Ozai was going to kill him. There was no way his own father was going to kill him, right? Thinking over it now, Zuko wasn't too sure if it had ever really been a joke at all. After all, his own father took no mercy on him when giving him his scar.

Zuko subconsciously brought his hand up to his face and caressed the patch of rough skin around his eye.

The events that had transpired after Azula had delivered the news lined up suspiciously well. There was no arguing against the parallel of events between Azulon's passing, Ursa's disappearance, and Zuko's near death experience, but what had truly happened that night remained a mystery to him.

Though Zuko had tried to talk to Ursa about it in Hira'a, she avoided his questions. He had to remind himself that he shouldn't be so bothered. He could understand why it would be an uncomfortable topic for Ursa to talk about. It was the same night her life changed, too. His mother will tell him when she is ready to.

"Aang, wow! Look at the view," Katara gasped suddenly, pulling Zuko from his thoughts.

"Wow. The sun on the water makes it look so magnificent,"Aang stared out at the water in awe.

"Views like this will never cease to amaze me." Sokka smiled, enjoying the sight.

He looked over at his group of friends who were tinted in orange sunlight. The smiles on their faces brought a smile to his. Zuko looked out at the water again and let himself bask in the warm rays of the sun. Although the setting sun brought with it a feeling of slowly fading power as the potency of his firebending weakened with the coming of night, it was nothing for Zuko to be alarmed about. The cycle of day and night and its effects was something every firebender had to live with, and Zuko had become used to the feeling long ago.

"This is why I didn't join the air force," a voice from behind Zuko grumbled. "Rather stick to land animals."

Zuko pulled his gaze away from the water.

A shaky Tarrak lifted his torso up from the bottom of the saddle and released his death grip on the thick leather.

Zuko chuckled, "Are you alright there?"

"Yeah. I'm doing completely fine on my own while you all sight see." Tarrak's voice was laced with sarcasm. "I can't see how you are comfortable with being hundreds of feet up in the air like this."

"Being on Appa isn't all bad. We get to see some pretty amazing places." Katara gave the soldier an empathetic smile.

"Come take a look," Sokka gestured for Tarrak to come to the back of the saddle. The soldier scooted his way over cautiously until his hands grasped the lip of the saddle. "Some things are better experienced in the air."

"Wow. I've got to admit, it's quite the sight… even if we are deathly high off the ground," Tarrak still sounded somewhat unsure, but soon the soldier grew calm as he gazed out at the ocean.

"The Gates of Azulon are especially large up close, but from this far up it's almost unfathomable how far the gate really goes," He commented.

Looking to start up a conversation, Aang asked him curiously, "Have you been here any other times?"

"I saw it when I was sent to the Earth Kingdom," Tarrak responded.

"Were you deployed there?" Zuko asked. The most likely answer was 'yes' since almost every able-bodied man was sent onto the battlefield to fight in the war.

"I was, but I wasn't on the front lines. I was still a part of a search and rescue team. We mostly did work like track down deserters, do some recovery missions, and recapture Earth Kingdom escapees," Tarrak trailed off and the group lapsed into silence. The soldier studied the outpost that was only a speck on the shoreline.

"Yaknow, Xing was a part of my old group," He added on. "He's one of my best buddies. Known him for quite a while."

Katara raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "You mean the current group you're with aren't your group from the Earth Kingdom?"

"No." Tarrak shook his head somewhat sadly. "Half of them decided to stay in the Earth Kingdom after the war ended and the other half were ordered back to the homeland. What's left of our original group is me, Xing, Kizar, and Xia."

"So I'm guessing you know them all very well." Intrigued, Katara added, "What are they like?"

Tarrak raised an eyebrow at first, then smiled, understanding her curiosity. "Well, Kizar is loyal and positive…," He began.

Zuko leaned in a bit as Tarrak talked. He was curious, too. Although he had been living with these people for a while, they usually worked in seperate groups. He didn't interact with them often besides the rare times they would all get together.

"...He is good company to be around, but he tends to get distracted easily. Xia is a bit of an introvert - it's why he likes to track alone - but I can always count on him to get a job done. And Xing is responsible and organized, but his organization is better described as perfectionism. He's always checking and rechecking things over," Tarrak chuckled lightly, likely remembering a moment he had with Xing.

"It's unfortunate that we had to leave him behind. I'm sorry I couldn't heal his ankle any further," Katara said, lowering her head and wringing her hands together with guilt.

She looked up as Tarrak placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It is unfortunate, but injuries are a fact of life. Don't get yourself down because I know you tried your best. Without your assistance, it would probably have taken longer for him to heal. Although I'll miss having him as a part of our team, I know we'll meet again and he'll be back on the field in no time," Tarrak said optimistically.

Katara looked up at him and smiled, feeling uplifted.

"So how are you holding up with the others? Suresh, Mal, Akai, Raleigh, and Amal?" Aang asked, clearly having not forgotten the others with them on their journey.

"We're getting along generally fine. I've only been a part of this group for a couple weeks, so I'm still learning and working things out with them." The soldier paused for a second. "Raleigh however, we just don't click, yaknow? But we put up with one another because we both know that if we were bickering all the time, we'd never get anything done."

"He's always struck me as a bit distant," Zuko commented.

The Avatar shrugged. "That's just his personality. Nothing much we can change about that. We just have to learn to coexist with different people without having any problems," Aang said in defense of Raleigh, spreading his usual words of pacifism.

"I agree," Katara nodded. "We're a team working towards a single goal. We should be able to put aside our differences for the greater good."

The group nodded in collective agreement and the conversation came to a natural close.

While they had been speaking, the sun had slowly been setting behind them. The saddle that had once been basked in orange sunlight, was now dimly lit by the final light of the sun. They had all returned their attention to the horizon to witness the end of the day in comfortable silence. The only sound was the wind as it gently blew between them.

A few minutes later, the last rays of sun disappeared as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. The sea of fire faded out and became a sleepy blue. One side of the sky was slowly overtaken by the purples and blues of night, the horizon holding the final shades of yellow and orange before it would become night.

A cold wind swept over the group in the saddle. Sokka shivered. "Where are we headed again?"

"There's a place nearby called Phoenix City," Zuko answered. He had been the one to choose it as their next location. "When we get there, we can find a place to stay."

"When do you think we'll get there?"

Zuko tilted his head as he thought about the question.

"I'd say about 20 minutes," Aang answered for him. "We'll be there soon, so try not to get too comfortable."

A mischievous twinkle came to Katara's eyes as she smirked at her brother. "Yeah, because we all know how loud you snore and I don't think any of us want to deal with that," She teased.

Zuko couldn't suppress a chuckle. Apparently Aang couldn't either as he joined Zuko in laughing at Sokka.

"I don't snore that loud!" Sokka gasped. "You're one to talk, Katara. Have you ever heard yourself in the dead of night? For a girl you have quite the snore. I swear that sometimes you snore louder than Appa," Sokka quickly said in retaliation.

"What! I do not," Katara quickly barked out, shocked. She placed an offended hand on her chest.

The saddle was engulfed in laughter.

Aang wiped a tear from his eyes. "I'm sorry Katara, but it's true," He sheepishly said.

The trio laughed even harder as Katara's face grew red with embarrassment. Even Tarrak in the background struggled to hold back an amused smile.

She flung her arms into the air. "Aang, you're not helping!"

The group's laughter and bickering echoed through the night as they continued to tease and throw playful insults at each other.

* * *

The streets of Tsulko were quiet as Azula made her way through the town. As the sun fell behind the mountains, the town was engulfed in a tint of blue. Between dusk and night, the twilight sky gave off just enough light for Azula to make her way through the streets without the aid of light. Nonetheless, the lanterns along either side of her illuminated the street in a soft orange glow. Somewhere down the street, she could hear the twinkling of wind chimes as a cold breeze blew between the buildings.

Her soft footsteps quietly tapped against the neatly laid brickwork. With her cloak secured firmly around her body and the hood pulled well over her face, Azula walks confidently down the middle of the path.

Very few people passed by her as most of the citizens had already retreated to their homes for the evening. What people did happen to walk by didn't even bat an eye as her cloaked figure made its way through the shadowy streets. But as she began to make her way out of the residential area and into the more commercial area of the town, the more common it became to have someone pass by. The streets weren't exactly busy, but they weren't devoid of people either. Late night restaurants and bars still had their doors wide open with customers exiting and entering.

Azula lifted her head to peer out from beneath the hood, taking care to make sure most of her face stayed concealed in shadow. Her sharp, golden eyes scanned the ever darkening street.

She will find a place to stay the night in. There was no way she was going to spend another night sleeping on the ground like a peasant. She needed a roof over her head, a clean bed to lay on, and most importantly of all, she needed a bath. A layer of dirt covered her skin from head to toe. Her clothes were dusty and smelled old. Although she had taken care to comb her hair as best she could, it was still littered with knots and dandruff.

She didn't intend to have her hygiene suffer as it did, but thanks to recent… developments, the thought of actually touching water had convinced her to put aside her discomfort.

Azula rolled her eyes, '_And we all know how that went…'_

Azula continued to make her way down the streets of Tsulko. She makes it down a couple blocks and around some corners before a sign hanging off the edge of a building catches her eye. As she draws closer, the words "Tao Lan Family Inn" become comprehensible. Azula makes her way towards the building and enters the small front door.

A blast of warm air greets her upon entering. Azula slows in her walking and lifts her head to get a sense of where she is. The small main lobby of the Inn is decorated with chairs and small potted plants sit in the room's corners. A small fire burns in a nearby fireplace, occasionally snapping and crackling. To her right, the main counter sits, unoccupied.

Azula walks across the small lobby and up to the unstaffed counter. She reaches over and gives a bell on the counter a quick tap. A loud "_ding!"_ echoes through the lobby.

Azula drops her head and lets the hood fall over her face as she hears footsteps approach from the backroom.

"Ah! Welcome to the Tao Lan Family Run Inn!" A female voice greets her.

"Greetings," Azula responded formally, still not raising her head. "Do you have any vacant rooms?"

"Hmm…" Azula watches as the woman's hands reach over the desk to grab a notepad. There is a brief rustling of papers as she sifts through the notes. "Ah, indeed we do," the innkeeper finally goes. "We have two vacant upstairs rooms. Would you like to check in to one of them?"

"Yes, I would. Preferably one with running water and a tub." Azula added, just to be safe.

While most Fire Nation homes did have running water, a great number of homes still lived without it. It was mostly a luxury for the upper and middle class because the pipes required maintenance and towns needed to have the required waterways for it. To have hot running water was even rarer. With most of the population who actually had running water being firebenders, it was expected that they would heat it up themselves, so most water would either run tap cold or lukewarm.

"Alright. I'll book you into room 8," the woman responds. "That will be two silver pieces for the night."

Azula removes the bag from around her shoulders and places it on the counter. She opens the flap and brings out a small bag of money. She sifts through the bronze and gold pieces and pulls out the silver pieces, which she lays out on the counter for the woman to take.

The innkeeper takes the silver pieces and puts it in her pocket. Her arm reaches underneath the desk and pulls up a key for Azula to take.

Azula places the money back into her bag and slings a strap over her shoulder. With the key in hand, Azula turns away from the counter.

"Your room will be up the stairs and down the right. Enjoy your stay!" the innkeeper cheerily says.

She makes her way towards the staircase at the other end of the lobby. Azula stops at the foot of the stairs.

"One last thing," Azula abruptly says to the departing innkeeper. The woman turns her attention back to Azula. "You don't happen to have a handmaid who can wash my clothes, do you?"

"Why yes, I do," the innkeeper responded. "Would you like for me to send my daughter?"

"Yes. Send her to my room in 20 minutes." Azula gave a curt nod and made her way up the wooden stairs. She walked down the dimly lit hallway and made her way towards the room labeled "8". Coming up to the door, she pulls out the key and inserts it into the lock. The door opens with a click and Azula walks into the small room, closing the door and re-locking it behind her.

The room is dark as none of the candles have been lit. Afterall, it would be terribly efficient to have candles lit all the time. Azula walked towards the small bed in the middle of the dimly lit room and threw her bag onto the covers. Finally within the privacy of her own room, she pulls back the hood from over her head and unbuttons the cloak, letting it hang off her shoulders.

With the guidance of what moonlight shone in through the small window at the end of the room, Azula made her way towards the candle sconces along the wall. She bends blue flames to her fingertips and begins to walk around the room lighting the candles. For a few brief moments, the room is engulfed in a ghostly blue. But as the flames lost their initial heat, they slowly transitioned into orange.

Azula released a comfortable sigh and removed the cloak from around her shoulders, neatly hanging it up on a coat rack near the door. Opening up the nearby closet, she finds a bathrobe and slings it over her arm. She turns and slowly walks across the small room to the window and closes the blinds before making her way towards the bed.

Taking off her dusty and sweat-ridden clothing, she slips on the bathrobe and covers herself up. She then neatly folds her dirty clothes, ready to give it to the handmaiden who would be there shortly.

The princess takes a seat on the edge of the bed and waits for the knock at her door. Her hands explore the soft sheets and she takes in the fresh smell. Azula leaned back and stretched herself out on the comfortable mattress. Oh man, did she miss having a nice bed.

Before she knew it, 20 minutes had passed and two firm knocks followed by the words "house keeping" roused her from a light slumber she didn't know she had slipped into. Slightly groggy, she sits up and rubs her eyes before collecting her dirty clothes and getting up.

Azula stops before the door and unlocks it. As she opens the door, she is careful to keep her face obstructed behind it, only showing enough of her face to look out into the hallway.

"Greetings, Miss. You requested my assistance?" The young woman standing in the hallway asked.

"Yes. I would like to have my clothes washed." She sticks her hand out the door and lets the girl take her clothing. "I will be leaving tomorrow morning. When might they be done?"

"I'll ensure that they get washed today and they'll dry overnight. If you wish, I can leave them in the laundry room downstairs for you to pick up tomorrow morning."

Azula pondered over it for a few seconds before ultimately nodding her head. "Sounds fine. That is all." Without giving the woman another chance to speak, she closed the door and relocked it behind her.

Taking a quick detour to the bed, she opens her bag and pulls out her old, hole-ridden clothing. While it wasn't the highest of quality, it was the only other clothes she had with her, so she just has to make do with what she's got for now. Azula turned and made her way towards the bathroom door.

It was time to face the bath.

Azula physically face palmed. Dear Agni, did that sound stupid now that she thought about it! Face the bath? Did she really just lower herself to being scared of the bathtub?

Azula sighed and lowered her arms. _'No. It's the water that's the problem,'_ she reminded herself.

She entered the bathroom and lit the candle sconces before locking the door behind her. It was like every other hotel layout with a counter to one side, a toilet across the room, and a bathtub to another side. The room was on the slightly larger side to accompany the size of the freestanding bathtub.

She pulled a towel off a nearby rack and placed it down onto the counter with her clothing. She then pulled a bathmat off the same rack and turned to place it onto the tiled floor. Azula leaned over the rim of the porcelain bathtub and plugged the drain before reaching for the taps and turning them on.

Azula staggered backwards and leaned herself against the edge of the counter as water began to sputter out of the faucet, taking her slightly by surprise. Although she had already been anxious before this, a new, sudden wave of anxiety and doubtfulness began to rise in her chest as the sound of rushing water filled the small room. She reached up and began to nervously fiddle with her bangs.

Was she really going to go through with this? It still felt too soon. She didn't feel ready yet.

Azula shook her head. '_No. I need to do this now and face my… fear… otherwise I'll never get over it and it will only continue to control me.'_

Azula mentally nodded to herself and mustered up what confidence she could. Not once before has she ever believed that she couldn't do something. Water will not stop her. She will do this, not only to overcome her fear, but to prove to her mother and that water witch that their curse will have no effect on her resolve to reclaim her throne.

Her confidence faltered as the waterline of the slowly filling tub came into view, and was once again back to nervously fiddling with her hair.

Once the bathtub had become a little over halfway filled, she walked over and turned off the taps. Placing her palms on the rim of the bathtub, she leaned over the edge. Her own reflection looked back at her from the basin of water.

Azula's mind raced with last minute doubts and thoughts as she struggled to convince herself that it would be okay.

Azula hesitated about her final decision before ultimately shaking her head and steeling her emotions once more. It was a bath that she so desperately needed; the second hurdle in a series of many to overcome with her new mermaid predicament. She just needed to get into the bathtub and accept whatever was going to happen.

Stepping back, she untied the waistband holding the bathrobe around her body and allowed the article of clothing to slip off her shoulders. Azula undid her top knot and let her dusty hair fall onto her bare back.

Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she took the step over the rim of the bathtub and felt her foot touch the surface of the warm water. Tentatively, she stepped into the tub and began to lower herself deeper into the water.

For a few seconds, Azula sat in the tub of water, half submerged. There was no going back now. So far, nothing unusual was happening. She felt somewhat hopeful. Maybe the curse had been temporary.

Her wishful thinking was shattered by the telltale tingling sensation that began in her feet and swiftly began to overtake the rest of her body. her hands gripped the tub rims firmly as Azula tensed up with fear. The tingling swiftly grew more intense until, just like before, blue and golden bubbles rapidly engulfed her body. Azula closed her eyes and braced for what was to come.

She felt her body jerk back slightly as the tail grew into existence.

Everything died down as suddenly as it had started and everything quickly went still. Once she felt comfortable enough, Azula gently opened her eyes, her grip on the bathtub rim never ceasing in force.

The rows of golden scales had once again appeared, same with the matching top that covered her breasts. The bathtub had apparently been too small to hold the length of the tail, for a portion of it hung limply over the end of the bathtub.

Azula lightly kicked - flicked? - her tail experimentally and watched as the tail bobbed with weight as it hung over the edge of the bathtub. She leaned her head back and let out an exasperated sigh.

Azula had partially hoped that her first transformation had been a dream, but the golden tail that was now attached to her waist was more than enough to confirm that what was happening to her was _very real. _

She supposed that on the bright side of things, it wasn't as bad as the first transformation where it had been completely unexpected and had sent her head first into a stream. At least now she was in the bathtub. She had gotten the hard part over and done with.

The longer she sat within the tub of warm water, the more she got used to just sitting there with the tail. While the general shock and awe was still there, she found her fear fading as she began to adjust to the feeling of the transformation. Once she felt ready to do so, Azula returned her gaze towards the tail; towards _her_ tail.

It wasn't as terrifying as she had once thought, she supposed. All she was doing now was simply laying in the tub. It wasn't like the tail was hurting her. If there was one important skill she had learned over the years, it had been that adapting her fighting style was key to survival on the battlefield. Now the world had become her battlefield and she would have to adapt to avoiding water. It would take time, but perhaps she could get used to it?

What had once been fear evolved into anger and defiance.

Azula shook her head and placed the palms of her hands on her temple. This isn't something she should have to get used to! What teenage girl has to deal with becoming a mermaid? Why, out of all people did it have to be her? Mermaids shouldn't even exist! They were supposed to be works of fiction; tales to mystify children! It was almost too outlandish to even believe, but here she was, lying within the water with a tail hanging over the edge of the bathtub.

Azula paused in her thoughts. She dropped her arms to the sides of the bathtub.

'_...There has to be some sort of way to undo this, right?'_

While staying dry was a temporary solution to her problem, she would still need to bathe and it was not 100% guaranteed that she would remain dry at all times.

'_And if there isn't…?'_

When she had first came to this question about a week before, all she had felt was overwhelming fear. This time around, she felt a wave of disgust come over her.

She didn't want to be some fish for the rest of her life. Though while dry, she may appear human, deep down she knew she truly was not anymore. It was a disgusting feeling; to not _feel human_. Part of her humanity had been forcefully stripped from her by that water witch and her mother.

The palms of her hands began to heat up, making stray droplets of water on the edge of the tub sizzle into steam. To say she hated her mother and that water witch, Katara, would be an understatement. They aimed to ruin her life, and they had succeeded.

She will get her revenge in the end. The throne which was so rudely stolen from her by her own brother will be reclaimed by her, Azula, the true heir to the throne. In the end, her brother will fall, the Avatar and his friends will be no more, and most importantly Ursa will finally be exterminated and the annoying voices within her head will finally go away. Father will be proud of her and she will show him how capable of a Fire Lord she is.

It will be a long time until any of her plans can be put into action, but she can wait.

Azula looked across the basin of water at her golden tail as her thoughts were brought back to the present.

'_And for now, until I can get answers from Mother and that water witch, I'm stuck like this…'_

Azula huffed. She came into the bathroom for a reason. She should actually start bathing instead of spending her time feeling self pity for what she could not change.

Azula placed her palms on the rims of the bathtub and, with some effort, was able to get into a more upright sitting position. She was a lot heavier than before in this form, Azula mused.

Her eyes wandered over the towel rack just above the table stand. A small face cloth was draped over the third bar up. She extended her arm upwards to reach. Much to her frustration, her hand was just short of reaching it. Azula did her best to scoot herself further upwards and closer to grasping the cloth. When that didn't work, she used her other arm to push herself up further. Her fingertips just about reached the corner of the face cloth and pinching it between her fingers, was able to successfully get the cloth down.

Her jaw was tensed with frustration as she held the cloth before her. Perhaps if she had legs right now that _very simple_ task wouldn't have been as hard. The tail was more of a burden than anything; an inconvenience designed to slow her down.

'_Agni forbid I get stuck like this on land while in a serious situation.' _Azula felt a twinge of dread at the thought.

She grabbed a bar of soap that sat on an adjacent stand and dampened the cloth, rubbing both items together until a good layer of soap lather had been created. Azula drew the cloth over her skin and began to scrub. Every couple minutes she would rinse and lather up the cloth once more before running it over areas she had yet to wash. The layer of dirt that had been stuck to her skin was slowly scrubbed and washed away, revealing glowing soft skin. Her stress ebbed away as soapy water cascaded down her skin with every swipe of the cloth. She moved onto her face and hair once her body had been cleaned.

Azula splashed the water onto her face and scooped up handfuls, pouring it over her head and rinsing and wringing away the last of the soapy water from her hair. She let out a low hum of contentment and opened her eyes.

Azula felt cleaner than she had in weeks. She lightly rubbed her hands up and down the soft skin along her arms. She gazed at her skin curiously. Small sparkles, which seemed to be embedded in her skin, twinkled in the fairly dim candle lighting, giving her body a somewhat magical look to it.

'_Has my skin always been like that?'_

Azula shrugged it off, figuring that it was most likely due to the transformation.

She looked towards the rows of orange-golden scales that made up her tail. It was time to move onto the more challenging part: cleaning her tail. The tail was obviously longer than her legs and offered less mobility. How exactly she would even be able to reach the end of her tail was beyond her, but she'll just have to figure it out when she gets there.

Lathering up the cloth once more, she sat up and bent down to begin washing her tail. The surface was bumpy. The cloth ran smoothly down the scales one way but the fabric would get caught underneath them when pulled back. She winced a few times as the cloth got caught on a couple scales and painfully tugged at them. Azula curiously picked at one of the scales and found them to be surprisingly sharp. More carefully, she worked her way down her tail.

She was halted in her progress when she found that a little over halfway down the tail, she could no longer stretch any further. Azula made an effort to stretch further in an attempt to reach the fluke of her tail.

Nope. Even with her flexibility and when stretched as far as she could possibly go, her arms failed to reach the end of her tail. Azula threw up her hands in defeat and sat back up. She clearly was not going to get anywhere near the fluke of the tail, so it was time for her to get out.

Azula paused for a heartbeat and then slapped her forehead. She did not just get herself stuck in this bathtub.

The thought never occurred to her. She had been so worried about getting into the tub that she never thought about how she was supposed to even get out.

Placing her hands onto the sides of the tub, she struggled to

Azula grunted as she fully turned onto her stomach and held onto the edge of the tub. She winced as her tail twisted into an awkward position. With a few kicks, she was able to get it fully straightened out and she began to clamber her way out of the tub.

Her wet skin let her slip easily out of the bathtub; a bit too easily it seemed. Azula hissed out as her elbows hit the hard, tiled surface of the bathroom floor and she rubbed them to ease the pain. Azula pulled herself further from the bathtub, her hands, slick with water, slipping on the smooth tiles.

The tail was ever so slowly tugged over the rim of the bathtub until it suddenly slipped from out of the basin, bringing with it a wave of soapy water as her tail landed on the tiled floor with a wet slap. The entire bathroom floor was covered in a layer of slippery, soapy water.

She grunted as she lifted her chest off the floor and reached up to grab the towel she had placed on the counter. Much to her disappointment, when the towel was pulled to the floor, the soapy water was quickly absorbed into the fabric.

"Ok fine. If that's how it's going to be…" Azula growled out and threw the soggy towel off to the side and lifted her arm. Summoning up her blue fire, she held out the flames to evaporate away the water along the floor. Azula quickly retracted her arm and cut off the flame as a hot blast of steam slightly seared her hand.

"Agni damn it! Can't anything go right?" She yelled out in frustration.

Azula looked around the bathroom for a new solution until her eyes landed on the door. If she wanted to change back, then it would be no use to lay in the puddle-covered floor of the bathroom.

With her hands slipping on the soapy, slick tiles, and all the while struggling to pull along a tail that was heavier than her own body, Azula fought to drag herself across the small bathroom floor. When she was close enough to do so, she reached up and opened the door.

Her hands easily gripped the dry wooden flooring of the room, and with much less difficulty than before, Azula dragged herself out of the watery prison of a bathroom. Her tail made a scratching noise as her scales were pulled across the wooden boards.

Finally, she was out, but now she needed to dry off. Azula positioned herself in the middle of the room and turned over to sit up. She let herself lapse into a state of meditation to get her breathing under control. Azula held out her hand and the flame gently flickered to life in her palm. She needed to be careful with this if she didn't want to burn herself.

Ever so carefully, she pushed the blue flames carefully towards the rows of golden scales. Azula could feel the heat of the flame as she evaporated the water that clung to her scales. Once she could reach no further down the tail, she opted to stay put and let herself air dry for the rest of the time.

A couple minutes passed before, very suddenly, something happened. The transformation back was much more sudden than the initial transformation into a mermaid, because before Azula could even recognize anything was happening she found herself looking down at her tailless body again.

Another overview of her body now revealed that she was completely unclothed and exposed. She needed to gather her clothing from the bathroom.

The princess blinked in surprise and rolled her ankles around experimentally before lifting herself up. Azula had to swiftly catch herself as she lost her balance halfway through getting up.

It was strange. She had gotten used to the tail's different muscular functions that she had briefly forgotten how to use her own two legs.

Trying again, Azula lifted herself up into a standing position and made her way towards the bathroom door, careful to step over any wet spots along the floor. Leaning in through the doorway of the bathroom, she reached over towards the nearby counter and snatched the clothing she had laid out for herself.

Azula quickly slipped on her clothing and once everything was done, she made her way towards the bed and flopped backwards onto it with a tired sigh.

That was probably the most strenuous, stress inducing, and emotional bath she has ever taken. It was definitely something she absolutely did not want to get used to.

* * *

The hotel room was peacefully quiet. Outside, the quarter moon shone dimly. For the night, their team had booked into one of the many hotels in Phoenix City. Because he was Fire Lord, the hotel staff had been gracious enough to give them a suite at a discount. Tarrak had been booked into his own room. In their own separate rooms, Katara and Sokka had already gone to bed. The only one he was aware was still awake was Aang.

Quiet nights like these always put Zuko at ease and his focusness spiked. With the guidance of a small candle, he sat reading through the letters he had received for that day.

Zuko slid another opened and to the small pile of already read letters. He guided his hand back over to the pile of unread letters and picked up the next one. Zuko raised his eyebrow in curiosity as he caught sight of the wax seal on the letter. The dragon emblem meant that it had come straight from the Royal Palace. Interest peaked, he opened the letter and read through the contents.

"So how's your reading going so far?" Aang asked as he walked into the room.

"Another letter from Uncle. Not good news," Zuko frowned as he handed the letter over to Aang. "The New Ozai Society is back with their antics. A few more people were arrested and a plan to infiltrate the Royal Procession ranks were uprooted. One of the lower ranking guards was arrested for having confirmed connections to the New Ozai Society and they're still investigating any other people that may have ties with him."

Zuko ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. The stress he felt was almost overwhelming.

Aang's eyes widened the more he read into the letter, then he looked at Zuko. "Your own Royal Procession! The assasination attempts were bad enough, now they're trying to gain your trust and then assassinate you. Now that's worse."

"That's the thing. When I get back, I won't know who I can trust. I'm going to be prey within my own palace," Zuko said, troubled. "I'll have to get the Captain to bump up the loyalty assessments and increase the supervision on the newcomers."

Aang handed Zuko back the letter and paused for a moment to ponder over things. "Well," The Avatar began. "If there's one team you can trust, then it's the Kyoshi Warriors. Don't forget that you have them, too."

Zuko smiled. He did have them, didn't he. A team filled with some of the best female non-bending fighters with Suki as their leader.

"Yeah, I remember. I trust each and every one of them with my life, and I'm glad to have them as friends." The warm feeling of happiness filled his chest as he thought about his friends, but the thought of the ultimate threat of the New Ozai Society once again dampened his mood.

"It just worries me. There are still New Ozai members out there and the society is getting confident again." The smile slowly fell from his face.

"You're not thinking of abandoning the search for your sister so early on, are you?" Aang asked in surprise.

"No! No! Not at all," Zuko stated quickly. "It's just that I've noticed they're getting a lot more active now that we're not there."

"Oh. I see. So you think they're going to make a move while we're not there to defend the capital?"

Zuko nodded. "I just hope we capture Azula before the society does anything. Otherwise we'll be forced to abandon this search and I highly doubt we'll be able to track her down again until she makes a move for the throne. Then we'll have both the New Ozai Society and Azula fighting me for power."

The thought of abandoning this mission brought a sinking feeling to his stomach. He didn't want to give up on his quest to capture Azula, partially out of fear about what she'll continue to do the longer she is free, but partially out of the care for his sister. With them being so close to catching up with Azula, and the mounting pressure from the society, he didn't want to be forced to give up.

"Sorry I had to pile all my stress onto you."

"I'm the Avatar and you're my friend. Listening to your problems and problems with your nation is kind of my duty, so no worries at all!" Aang said in a supportive tone.

Zuko looked at the young monk and gave him a greatful smile, then turned back to his desk.

The Fire Lord huffed lightly as he looked down at the piles of letters, read and unread letters respectively.

"Another letter down, several more to go."

* * *

**A little more exploration in this chapter. Those tails must be super heavy and hard to get around in. They aren't exactly made for land .**

**See you all in the next chapter.**


End file.
